Blood Brothers by Choice
by RRatedauthor
Summary: On his deathbed, Gilbert tells Matt and Jeff a secret that will change their lives... how will this affect them, both personally and professionally... rated M for mature subject matter!
1. He Ain't Heavy, He's Our Brother

I'M BAAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!

All existing characters copyright WWE inc. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The management makes no claims regarding any person's lifestyles, real of fictional. I have received no compensation for this work. The management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone appearing to be under the influence of any controlled substance... sorry, wrong intro...

Brothers By Choice

Gilbert Hardy was dying. The doctors had given him six months to live and that was almost a year ago and now as the cancer ravaged his body, he knew that this was it. Family and close friends had been by his bedside since he'd been readmitted for what was probably the last time, but today there were only two visitors: his sons, Matthew and Jeffrey, known to millions of wrestling fans as the Hardy Boyz, team Xtreme, and many other nicknames, each sat beside his bed, waiting for the end.

"Boys. I'm glad you're here." Gil wheezed, the oxygen tubes doing very little to help.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time."

"What?" Both boys leaned in closer.

"You know that your Mother and I had been trying to have children for several years before we got lucky with the two of you, right?"

"What are you talkin' about, pop?" Matt asked

"Matt, Jeff, you have a brother." Gil started to cough harshly, his body bouncing with each hacking breath.

"What?" Jeff asked "Dad, but how..."

Gil looked up at his two sons. "It was two years before you came along Matt. We thought things were gonna be perfect now that we had a son. Then I got sick and couldn't work for a year and your Mom, God bless her, she tried to hold things down, but we just couldn't manage with a new baby. We gave him up for adoption."

"You mean I gotta 'nother big brother?" Jeff squealed "Yay!"

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Matt asked

"You boys have made quite a good life for yourselves. I didn't want to burden y'all with stuff from the past." Gil smiled

"It wasn't a burden, Dad." Matt answered "I just wish we'd known sooner so he could be here with us all."

Gil closed his eyes, breathing deeply several times. "It isn't that easy, son. Your mother and I tried for a couple years to find him, but the agency either lost his records or something. It was only until about two months ago that I finally got a reply."

"What did they say?" Jeff asked, his green eyes glowing with anticipation.

"I dunno, son. I never got around to reading it." Gil said, his voice wheezing loudly. "It's on the desk in the study with all my other junk. Do what you want to with the information, I just thought it was a good idea to let you two know before..."

He smiled at his sons and just like that, he was gone. Matt and Jeff each held one of his hands as the emotions they'd both been hiding were finally set free.

"Bye pop." For once, Matt was unashamed of the tears flowing down his face. "Say hi to ma for me." Jeff, on the other hand, was wailing away like there was no tomorrow.

Always the protective one, ever since the day their mother passed, Matt went over to his brother and let him be used as his support.

"Shhh, Jeffro. Things are gonna be alright. You still have me." Matt cuddled his brother tightly. "Remember that promise I told you I made before Momma died?"

"Yes?" Jeff sniffled

"Well, even though Dad didn't make me repeat it, I will. I'll still always be here for you, Jeffro. We may be miles apart physically, but I'm always with you in spirit." Matt held him, letting all his pent-in emotion leave his system.

"So what do we do now?" Jeff sniffled

"I guess we let the doctors do their thing, and then we move on." Matt gripped his brother's shoulder one more time as two nurses entered the small room.

Several trying emotional days later, Matt was finally getting a chance to go through some of his father's personal papers, deciding what to keep and what to throw away. Thank God for Gilbert's lawyer who had seen to the disposition of all the other stuff, or Matt might still be going over things right now. At the bottom of a pile that Gil had jokingly referred to as his in-box, Matt found a letter from the North Carolina department of Adoption and Child Services.

He opened it and read...

"Dear Mr. Hardy, we apologize for the delay in getting this information to you. Regarding case number 4376-24B, we have discovered the following..." It went on to give a list of particulars regarding the brother that Matt and Jeff never knew that they had until a few days earlier. Matt's eyes widened as he continued to read.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jeff walked in, fresh from unloading some of the furniture that Gil had left to a local charity, and saw the letter. He snatched it out of Matt's hands.

"Gimme that!" Matt reached for it, but Jeff waved it out of his grasp.

Jeff read it and his playfulness immediately vanished. He became all serious. "Is this legit, Matty?"

"Yeah, bro, it is." Matt responded "The big question is what do we do about it?"

"Whaddaya mean, dude?" Jeff demanded

"Well, should we find this guy or what?" Matt asked "I mean, it's been almost thirty-five years since our folks gave him up. I'm sure he has a life now and does he want us in it?"

"I'd say we do it if only to tell him about Dad." Jeff answered "He was his son too."

"But what if he doesn't want anything to do with us?" Matt was being cautious. He didn't want to rush into something as potentially life-altering as this without thinking everything through.

"Matty, live a little!" As usual, Jeff was ready to throw caution to the wind. "If we don't, you'll be second-guessin' yourself until you're sixty!" He slapped the letter on the desk. "There's a current address on this. Let's check it out."

"I guess you're right, little bro. What's the worst that can happen? He says he wants nothing to do with us..."

"Yeah, but there are prob'ly millions of people out there who'd die to have me as a brother... and at least one or two for you."

"Very funny, Jeffro." Matt wished he had something handy to throw at him.

"So how we do this?" Jeff asked

"I guess we should contact the agency and see if they can set up a meeting." Matt responded

"Yippee! I'm gonna have another brother, I'm gonna have another brother..." Jeff sang, skipping out of the den.

"I hope he's nothing like you, Jeff." Matt thought "I don't think I could take having two of you in the family.

Matt did call the adoption agency and ask them to make the necessary arrangements. The woman Matt spoke to told him that she would set it up, but it might take a few days to get everything set. She took Matt's cell as a contact number and promptly hung up.

After three days had gone by, and still no word from the agency, Matt sorta forgot about it. After all, both he and Jeff were back on the road and rarely crossed paths, so there was no reason to contact Jeff. It would just make him even more antsy. He really wanted to meet this brother and the delays were eating at him.

It was on the fourth day when Matt received the call he'd been waiting for, although he didn't know it at the time.

"Hello?" He answered his cell, in the middle of the locker room, getting ready for his match.

"Hello..." A long pause. "Is this Matthew Hardy?"

"Yes, who is this?" Matt answered

"Well, I guess you could say this is your brother." The caller answered

Matt's legs gave out and he collapsed on the bench.

"I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but I've been on the road a lot."

"Me too." Matt answered

"The agency said you were interested in a face-to-face meeting. Are you still?"

"Oh hell yeah!" Matt shouted. Damn, he wished Jeff were here right now!!!

"Okay. What's your schedule like... better question, where are you right now?"

"Phoenix." Matt responded "But, Jeff, our other brother, is in Denver."

"You know where I live right... I'll be home on Saturday say around six."

Matt quickly checked his itinerary for the week. He had nothing, which was good. He only hoped Jeff's was as clear. "Saturday works for me, but I'll have to check with Jeff."

"Cool. Then I'll see you on Saturday. If Jeff can't make it, we'll just work around it."

"Works for me. I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta go. I'm on in ten minutes."

"Sure. I'll see you in a few days then. Ciao!"

Matt hung up. He quickly dialed Jeff and ran into a private locker room to talk.

"What's up Matty?" Jeff asked. From the background noise, it sounded like he was in the middle of a riot.

"Jeff, he called." Matt shouted

"Who called?" Jeff had to shout to hear himself over the crowd.

"Our brother." Matt shouted back.

"Holy fuck!" The background noise suddenly quieted. "You ain't toyin' with your little bro, are ya?"

"Hell, no, Jeffro. I'm meeting him on Saturday. You free?"

"If I ain't, I am now! Where?" Matt could hear the excitement in Jeff's voice.

"His place. L.A., man. Six o'clock."

"I'll meet you at LAX at some point. I'll let you know when I can get a flight." Jeff answered. Matt could hear the anticipation in his voice.

"Same here, bro."

"Uh, Matty... what if he doesn't like us?" Jeff suddenly asked

"Oh well. At least we know. And why wouldn't he like us? Come on, what's not to like?" Matt said, trying to boost Jeff's waning confidence.

"Yeah, you're right, bro. I can't wait until Saturday." Jeff replied, his excitement level bouncing back up. Neither could Matt, but he'd learned that if he anticipated something too much, it never lived up to it.

So, that is why, at a quarter to six on Saturday evening, Matt and Jeff were driving through downtown Los Angeles, nervously awaiting what might happen within the next few hours. Well, Jeff was nervous. Matt was still trying to negotiate rush hour freeway traffic.

"Keep your eye open for North Alameda on the right." Matt said "If we miss our turn, it'll be a bitch to find it again."

Jeff nodded. A few seconds later, he pointed excitedly. "There it is!"

Matt turned, then took the next right onto East Temple St.

"Look for 524." He said "It's on the right."

Jeff watched the number flashing by, a gnawing in his stomach growing the closer they got to the house.

"There it is!" He pointed

Matt looked out the side window at 524. Not what he'd expected. The house looked like it had seen better days. The paint was flaking, the roof was missing a few tiles and the yard looked like it hadn't been mowed in weeks.

"You sure this is the right place?" Jeff asked

"This is the address I got." Matt replied, turning into the driveway which to it's credit looked like it had been retarred recently.

"Oh well... maybe he just moved in or somethin'." Jeff answered

"Or somethin'." Matt echoed "Let's go." He now felt very nervous as well. "I hope the car is safe."

"I hope so too. It's my car, remember?" Jeff replied

The Hardy took the steps to the front door and both stood staring at it. Then they both reached for the knocker at the same time, this made them laugh and lowered their individual tension levels one notch.

Any doubt that either man might have had was shot down the second the door was answered. If you took the heads of Matt and Jeff and stuck them in a blender, mixed well, and then poured the results out, you'd have a pretty close approximation of the man who stood in front of them.

"Andrew?" Jeff asked

"That would be me. You must be Matt and Jeff." He said it like meeting long-lost relatives was nothing out of the ordinary. "Come on in and make yourselves at home."

"Wow!" Jeff whistled. If the outside was any indication, both Matt and Jeff expected the worst. But the inside of the house was the complete opposite: spotless, well-appointed, and looked like a lot of money had been spent on it.

"I guess you like it. Grab some seats, guys."

Matt sat in one of the high-backed chairs adorning the fireplace, while Jeff sprawled on the sofa.

Their host sat in the other high-backed chair and studied them both.

"Well, normally I would ask what brings you to this neck of L.A., but I think we all know that answer already."

"Yeah." Matt answered. Jeff continued to stare at the room.

"I'm sorry to hear about Gil, though. I wish I'd had the chance to meet him."

"Andrew..."

"Sorry to cut you off, but" Andrew said "I only use that name on legal crap. Most of my friends call me either Tom or Tommy... I don't really mind either way."

"Tom?" Jeff queried

"My middle name." Andrew, or Tom as he would be known from then on, answered. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you find me?"

"Well, it was all Gil. I guess he wanted us to know the truth before he passed on." Matt answered

"Until I got the call, I didn't even know that I had family." Tom answered "My adopted parents never talked that much about my birth family and I assumed that that meant I didn't have anyone out there, or I might have done the research a little sooner, if that makes any sense to you."

"Yeah, it does, dude." Jeff had finally stopped gawking at the room. "You do all this yourself?"

"Yeah, right." Tom answered "I had it done. I can't even draw a stick figure, much less decorate a house."

"Are you sure you're related to us?" Jeff smirked

"Don't mind Jeff." Matt apologized "I'm still trying to figure out where all his artistic-ness comes from. I can't draw worth a damn either."

"Maybe he's the adopted one." Tom answered "You guys want a drink?"

"Sure... beer?" Jeff answered

"Whiskey?" Matt said

"Be back in a minute." Tom left to mix.

"What do you think?" Matt whispered once he'd left

"Seems like a nice enough guy." Jeff answered

"He's got your eyes..." Matt said

"He's got your chin." Jeff added

"Thank God he doesn't have your hair." Matt joked, causing them both to laugh.

"Did I miss something?" Tom returned with the drinks.

"So, you guys got any questions for me... take this however, but I feel like I already know you."

"Millions. And I'm sure there's some stuff you don't know about us." Matt replied

They talked for hours about their childhoods, family, and what their individual lives had been like. One thing they never discussed what their work. Which was too bad, because if they had, they would've learned one thing: Tom had been an aspiring wrestler. He'd put his dues in in the Carolinas for several years before leaving the business to become a financial analyst for a large corporation. Recent economic woes had lead to downsizing, of which Tom had become just another victim, and he was now looking to get back in the game.

"You two staying in town for a while, or do you have a flight to catch?" Tom asked

"Not until tomorrow evening." Matt answered.

"I'm available until Monday." Jeff responded

"I wasn't sure. If you need a place, I've got a spare room you can use for the night instead of going to a hotel." Tom suddenly yawned, followed by both Matt and Jeff.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep much last night." He apologized

"Neither did I." Matt added

"All the excitement, I guess." Tom got up and stretched. "Anyway, the room is yours is you want it... it's only got one bed I'm afraid, but it's a king size."

"Great. More rumors for the fan sites." Jeff groaned

Tom looked quizzically at him. "You mean all the jokes about Hardycest? Don't tell me you actually read that stuff?"

"No!" Jeff retorted "Well, only if I'm really bored..."

"You told me you never looked at that stuff!" Matt looked sternly at Jeff.

"Not the Hardycest, but there are some good stories out there." Jeff answered "There's this one author I really like... he wrote this one series about you and me and... I'll tell you about it some other time."

"That means you are staying?" Tom asked

"I guess so. I'll get our bags from the car." Matt answered

While Matt went to get his and Jeff's overnight bags, Tom and Jeff continued the conversation.

"What site?" He asked

"Fanfiction-dot-net." Jeff replied

"Never heard of it." Tom stated "What kind of stuff do they have?"

"Everything. I just read the wrestling fics though." Jeff replied "It's a good time-waster."

"Jeff, how much stuff did you pack?" Matt's voice came from the porch.

"Better go help. He sounds like he's in pain." Tom laughed

"Nah, man. That's just Matty. He tries to rope me into everything..."

"Jeff, if you don't get your ass out here and grab your own fuckin' luggage, I'm gonna leave it here." Matt shouted

"Rope you? Sounds like dude just gave you a fuckin' ultimatum." Tom patted Jeff on the shoulder before holding the door for Matt, who walked past carrying only one bag and wearing a triumphant grin.

"Where's my stuff?" Jeff whined

"Duh, dude. Look outside." Matt pointed while he walked past.

"Second door on the right." Tom gestured. "Bathroom's next door."

Jeff walked past a few moments later, lugging three times the baggage.

"How long you planning to stay, man?" Tom looked "Jesus Christ in a taxicab!"

"Matty, why did you bring all my stuff?" Jeff complained "I'm just gonna hafta load it back up tomorrow!"

"I didn't know which ones you needed." Matt said from the depths of Tom's upper floor.

Jeff looked at Tom like "You see what I have to put up with?"

"He's your brother." Tom laughed

"So? He's yours too." Jeff retorted

"You want some help, Jeff?" Tom said, a little condescending.

"Mm-hm." Jeff replied

"Okay." To Jeff's surprise, Tom grabbed all the bags that Matt had complained about carrying and in one trip carted them into the bedroom, where he dropped them on the floor.

"Just so you two know, I'm leaving at noon tomorrow. I gotta personnel meeting in Connecticut. Until then, my house is your house. 'Night, guys."

"Good night, Tommy." Jeff grabbed him in a warm embrace.

From where Matt stood, he could see that his new brother was a little put off by Jeff's effusiveness. He stepped in.

"Jeff, I don't think he likes that." He cautioned.

"Oh." Jeff seemed disappointed.

"It's not that, Jeff. I've just never been a hugging type of guy." Tom explained "Anyways, I'll see you in the morning."

In their room, Jeff and Matt prepared for bed, neither one saying a whole lot. It had been a day of firsts for them all, and it was going to take a while for everything to be digested, emotion-wise.

"Are you glad you came?" Jeff asked, curling into a ball on his side of the bed.

"Yeah, Jeff, I am." Matt replied "I really am."

In his own room, Tom was thinking along similar lines, but his mind was going in five different directions. You see, his meeting the following day... it was with Vince McMahon.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Just a warning... this one is gonna be a real work in progress for me... I'm completely switching focus on this story, but don't worry, this will live up to my standards in terms of rude language, gore, and graphic dude-on-dude sex!_

_As always, reviews are welcome!_

_Sorry for the delay, but you would not belive how many times I typed Eric by mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have killed him off after all?_


	2. Brothers in Arms

All characters courtesy WWE inc. Tom Baker appears courtesy the author. Bunny appears courtesy Jeff Hardy.

Brothers In Arms

It was eight o'clock in the morning and the Baker house was slowly coming alive. A creature of habit, even when he wasn't punching the clock, Tom awoke first and stared at the ceiling. Until he heard a loud bang from his guest room, he wasn't sure if last night had just been a vivid dream.

"Dammit, Jeff, can't you be more careful!" He heard an angry shout from across the hall.

"Sorry." Came Jeff's mumbled reply

"You break it, you pay for it!" Tom shouted back, then closed his eyes, trying to get a little more sleep while he could.

The banging continued.

"Oh, for God's sake!" He groaned, tossing back the covers. "I guess I am awake now." Looking at the suit he'd laid out the day before, he debated whether or not to get dressed right away or not. His flight didn't leave for another four hours, so that made his decision for him. He tossed on his jeans and a t-shirt and padded out into the hall, still in bare feet. His destination... breakfast! Ah breakfast... the smell of coffee, the hiss of freshly broken eggs dropping into a skillet, the crackle of bacon... Tom was getting hungry just thinking about it. So much so, that he'd forgotten that he had guests. He was halfway to making food for one when he realized this. Okay, it was actually when Jeff padded into the kitchen, pajama-and-bunny-slipper clad.

"Mornin' bro." He said

"Morning." Tom answered, momentarily startled.

"Did I scare you?" Jeff asked, helping himself to coffee.

"Honestly, it's gonna take me a while to get used to being called bro." Tom answered "Pour me a cup while you're there?"

"Sure... bro." Jeff added the last word with a giggle.

Matt clomped down the steps, already dressed. "Mornin', Jeffro... Tommy." He sang out.

"Coffee's on the counter." Tom replied "Bacon and eggs good for you two?"

"You don't have to cook for us as well." Matt answered, alarmed.

"I'm cooking for myself, so I might as well."

"At least let me help." Matt offered

"I wanna help too!" Jeff exclaimed

"Whatever... one of you can make toast, the other can start the bacon." Tom grabbed a large fry pan from under the stove.

"If you don't mind my asking, what's in Connecticut? It seems like an awful lot of travel for an interview." Matt queried

"Do I tell him the truth or not?" Tom fought with his conscience for a second, then decided that until it was set, the less his new family knew, the better.

"I guess all their interviewing is done at the corporate headquarters." He answered

To his exquisite relief, neither Matt nor Jeff asked who the interview was with. Possibly they both figured that is was none of their business.

Once breakfast was finished, Tom set about his daily routine of showering, making himself look good, and then packing for his interview.

Jeff hung in the doorway, watching intently.

"Something I can do for you, Jeffro?" If Jeff was gonna tag the bro line on, then Tom was gonna use the name he heard Matt address him by earlier.

"I was just wond'rin'..." Jeff's train of thought suddenly derailed and he stood there, agape.

"What were you just wond'rin?" Tom replied, tossing various undergarments into his suitcase.

"Dude, it's just that..." Jeff could not get the words out.

"I guess what they say about wrestlers is true. If they don't have their lines written for them, most of them can't carry on a conversation worth a shit." Tom responded "You wanna ask me something, spit it out!"

"What do you think about me and Matt... as brothers, I mean."

"First impressions, eh?" Tom stopped in mid-fold and looked at Jeff. "Well, I must say that if we met in public I probably would avoid you at all costs, but since we're blood, I can't wait to get to know you better..."

"Me too!" Jeff squealed "What about Matty?"

"Matt? He's more my type..."

"Who's more my type?" Drat, Matt had overheard that last part.

"Tom is." Jeff said, not bothering to explain the context. This left both Matt and Tom feeling awkward.

"I dunno what you've heard, but I don't go that way." Matt stated

Tom slapped his forehead, and would've done the same to Jeff, had he not just met him. "That's not what I mean, dumb ass! Jeff asked me what my first impressions were of the two of you and I told him that I probably wouldn't have much to do with Jeff if we just met in public, but you are closer to my type. We're more serious, I guess you could say. FYI Matt, I don't go that way, either."

"That's a relief!" Matt joked, wiping fake-sweat from his brow. "I have enough problems with people making assumptions about me, without them thinking things like that!"

"Well, you do know what they say about incest, right...? It's all relative." Tom sad, straight-faced.

It took a second for them to realize that was what passed for a joke in the world of Tom Baker. Tom and Matt both laughed, Jeff looking puzzled. "I don't get it."

"Have your big brother explain it to you sometime." Tom retorted

"Which one?" Jeff replied

It took a second for that to hit home. "Oh yeah, right... this is gonna take some getting used to on my part. There, that's everything." Tom slammed the lid of his suitcase closed. "Just gotta change... when are you two leaving?"

"We figured whenever you are. We can give you a lift to the airport if you want. It's on our way." Matt offered

"Cool... saves me a few bucks." Tom set his bag into the hall. "I assume we'll be leaving soon?"

"As soon as Jeff puts his clothes on." Matt said

"Clothes are evil." Jeff mumbled

"I know they're evil, but I ain't driving around with a naked man, much less a naked brother. You know what happened last time..."

Jeff blushed.

"Something I should know about?" Tom looked mildly interested.

"I'll tell you on the way."

Jeff's blush deepened. "Matty, you promised you'd never tell."

"Let's just say that when our little brother has a few too many, his clothes disappear rather quickly." Matt explained

Jeff covered his face, now brick-red, in his hands.

"I'll have to remember that." Tom leaned back in the seat, staring at the ceiling. "Do not take Jeff out for drinks unless you have extra clothes nearby. Any other embarrassing things..."

"Matt jerks off every day!" Jeff shouted "And he's really fuckin' loud when he comes!"

Now it was Matt's turn to blush.

"At least I don't think about guys when I do it!" Matt retorted

"Thank God we're almost to the airport." Tom closed his eyes, willing the mental pictures he was getting to vanish. "This isn't something people usually tell a brother that they've only known for a day, is it?"

"You asked." Jeff scrunched down in his chair, arms crossed, a pouty expression on his face.

"I sorry I did. I didn't think we'd end up discussing Matt's solo pleasuring or your latent homosexuality." Tom leaned back "Or are you bi?"

"Neither." Jeff answered "It's all about the person, not the gender."

"That's an interesting way to put it." Tom said "So, if you don't mind me asking, if you had to make a choice, what would it be... men or women?"

"If I had to choose... I wouldn't." Jeff simply replied

"Neither would I. Live honestly, that's what I always say. If someone ever asked me to chose between them and someone else, you know who I wouldn't choose." Tom leaned forward between the seats and stared ahead. "Live for today, man. Tomorrow never comes."

What more was there to say?

"If you're ever in the area, give me a call." Tom said good-bye at the boarding gate.

"I'd say the same, but some days I don't know where the hell I am." Matt answered

"Same dude." Jeff agreed, staring at the floor. Something was on his mind.

"'Sup, bro?" Matt asked

"I think li'l Jeffy is gonna miss me." Tom accurately read the youngest Hardy's body language. "And he's known me for what, eighteen hours?"

"C'mon, Jeff, it's not like you'll never see him again, right?" Matt said softly. The last word was directed at Tom.

"Jeff, like I said, if you're ever in Los Angeles, give me a call. You both have my cell number." Tom said, trying to perk up Jeff's spirits. "Now that I have you in my life, I sure as hell am not gonna run away from you. From either of you."

"Hug?" Jeff looked up, eyes shimmering.

"Sure." Tom said. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but if it would help, he would always oblige. "You want one as well, Matt?"

"What the hell." Matt answered

They hugged each other in the concourse. Tom was worried about keeping up appearances, but among all the other relatives saying their goodbyes, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Flight number 356 to Logan international now boarding all seats at gate nine." The public address system announced

"I gotta go." Tom detached from Matt and Jeff, needing a little more force for the latter. "See you in the future..."

"But live for today, right?" Jeff added

"Always." Tom saluted then heading down the ramp. At the plane, he happened to look back. Both Matt and Jeff were still standing there, watching and waving. Before boarding, he turned to them and did both the Hardy Gunz and the Mattitude salutes. Both Jeff and Matt returned their gestures. Tom nodded, a huge smile on his face, then he was gone.

"Now what, Matty?" Jeff asked, feeling a little sad. He'd just met Tom and already he felt a connection with him, and now that connection was gone.

"We got a few hours. I need something to eat..." He headed for the restaurant, Jeff following close behind.

Tom stowed his luggage in the compartment, then settled into his seat for the first leg of his journey: Los Angeles to Boston. In Boston, he made his connection to Hartford, getting in at around 4 a.m., Hartford time. A car was scheduled to pick him up at seven the next morning for the drive to Titan Tower.

As far as flights went, it was nothing out of the routine... no bad weather, no near-misses, nothing. They didn't even fly through the Aurora Borealis over the Mojave desert and go back in time. (Obligatory Stephen King reference here, sorry!) And the meeting with Vince wasn't anything special, either. They talked, compared notes, and when Vince was informed of Tom's lineage, he pretty much hired him on the spot, visions of a really good feud already coming to mind.

"We'll schedule you to appear on Raw in two weeks, then." Vince looked at the calendar. "We'll be in Sacramento that night."

"Not far from where I live." Tom responded

"That's what I was thinking. Now are you sure you'll be ready? We don't want any ring rust when you get out there." Vince answered

"It depends what I'll be doing. Am I having a match, or is it just a run-in?"

"We'll let you know when you arrive. It depends what Creative has in mind..."

"Innocent fan sitting at ringside kind of thing?" Tom guessed

"Possibly. Like I'll said, you'll know in advance." Vince answered

"Not that it matters. I wrestled in street clothes way back when and I sorta hate to give up my pants."

"I'll leave you a ticket at Will-Call." Vince said

"Or I can drop a subtle hint to Matt? Something like I hear you're gonna be in Sacramento in a couple weeks, can you get me a good seat?" Tom suggested

"If you can swing it." Vince replied

"Leave it to me. I got Jeff wrapped around my finger. He'd be so happy to spend more time with me that I'm sure he'll find a way."

"Then it's settled. Welcome to the Titan family and we'll see you in two weeks. If you need anything, in terms of ring work, costume, whatever, just let us know." Vince stood.

"Thank-you, Mr. McMahon."

One handshake later, and Tom was out in the hall, a new career on the horizon, and a cheese-eating grin on his face.

Back to L.A. For most people, the City of Angels was like heaven, but once you've lived there long enough, there isn't much you haven't already seen, done, tasted, or whatever. And Tom had been their long enough. From a red-carpet premiere at Mann's Chinese theater to shopping along Rodeo drive, to getting propositioned by a tranny outside a dive bar, Tom had literally done it all.

Tom stewed at home for almost a week before Matt got back to him. He'd left both him and Jeff texts asking them to look into getting a seat for the show. As the days went by, he got more nervous. He might have had to call the office back and see what they could do, had his new blood not at least returned his call.

"What took you so long?" Tom demanded "I was wondering if having brothers with benefits was gonna be worth the trouble."

"Sorry, man, but scheduling is terrible right now. Good news is I got you a ringside seat for the show." Matt sounded proud of his accomplishment, when it really was no big thing.

"Awesome, bro." Tom said

"Do you want me to drop it off to you or leave it at the box office?" Matt asked

"Were you planning to be in the area before the show?" Tom asked back. He did not want to give anything away and when he got excited, things slipped.

"I can be, if you want. Or Jeff."

"It's up to you. I don't want you to make a trip out here if you don't have to." Tom did a fist-pump.

"Might as well. Can we stay over again?" He asked

"It's the least I can do." Tom said

"Cool. Imma gonna talk to Jeff and we'll get back to you as soon as we know when we're getting in."

"Works for me." Tom said "'Til then."

"Thanks, bro."

"No, thank-you." Tom hung up, then realized he might have a problem. If Creative wanted him to wrestle, it would look suspicious if he walked into the arena as a fan, but carrying luggage. Oh well, Tom thought aloud, I guess I'll have to bullshit something. It's not like I haven't done it before.

I won't bore you with the details of Tom's life for the next week. If you're that jaded for info, just look at your own life. So, in a sentence, it passed very slowly, Tom's nervousness at his new career being kept in check only just. Matt and Jeff came through with the ticket, as mentioned earlier, and they also showed upon his doorstep the day before, as not mentioned earlier. They had another reunion, stayed up much too late, drank a little too much, and finally fell asleep around three a.m., but not before another instance of drama involving our favorite Enigma.

Tom had just settled into his warm bed, with thoughts of that evening's fun on his mind, when he heard strange noises from the guest room.

"Not again!" He thought

"What's the problem, Jeffro?" Matt asked

Jeff was throwing the contents of his suitcase all over the formerly-clean room. What annoyed Matt more was not that Jeff was doing this, but that some of his crap was getting on Matt's half. Dodging a pair of hastily-flung boxer shorts, he had confronted his sibling.

"I can't find it." Jeff replied. His suitcase now empty, Jeff turned to emptying his travel bag. Soon, Matt was trying to avoid fishnets, hair dye, and other such stuff. With every passing minute, Jeff became more anxious.

"Can't find what?" Maybe if Matt knew what was causing the problem, he could help Jeff solve it, and hopefully before getting hit by more of Jeff's stuff.

"Bunny." Jeff said, now panicky. "I know I packed her!"

"All this over your rabbit... God, kill me now!" Matt thought, but had the sense not to say. "Okay, Jeff, calm down. Where did you see her last?"

"She was sitting on top of my stuff when I left the hotel last night... oh no, do you think I left her there... she'll be so scared! She's never been on her own before!" Jeff dropped onto the bed. With both bags empty, the idea that he'd committed the unforgivable was becoming more likely.

"Just calm down, Jeffy." Matt said in his most soothing voice.

For a thirty-one year old, Jeff sure seemed to get worked up over nothing.

"Nothing! You dare call Bunny nothing!" Jeff suddenly yelled.

"Uh, Jeff, who are you talking to?" Matt asked

"Him!" Jeff shouted, pointing upwards. "He said I sure seemed to get worked up over nothing!""

"Since when have you found religion?" Matt asked, surprised

"Not, not Him, him! The guy writing this!" Jeff retorted

"Uh, Jeff, you're arguing with the author?" Matt queried. Jeff had done some strange things in his life, but this was by far the strangest.

(A/N You know you need a vacation when one of your characters starts arguing with you!)

Suddenly a voice from nowhere boomed. "Fine... I'm sorry for calling Bunny nothing. If you're that desperate for her, look in Matt's bag. He packed it when he saw her on the bed. God, I need a vacation..."

(A/N I had planned on writing a nice touching scene where Matt helps Jeff find his rabbit, but after that little outburst, I'm not gonna! So there!)

"Matty..." Jeff accused

"Sorry, li'l bro, I completely forgot. You know how much I've had on my mind lately." Matt found the loved toy right where the Rratedauthor told him it would be.

"Don't ever do that again! Either of you." Jeff waved his finger at both Matt and Bunny.

"Bro, I'm sorry. What more do you want... blood?" Matt said sincerely.

"Is everything alright in there?" Tom lightly tapped on the door. "I am trying to get some sleep."

"We're fine. Jeff thought he left something back at the hotel. It just took us a while to find it!"

"Oh. It's cool, then?" Tom sounded relieved

"Yeah, dude." Jeff replied

Tom shrugged, returning to his warm bed. "Of all the brothers in the world, I get him."

The next day, or later that day if you want to get technical, while Matt was out getting lunch for them, and Jeff was doing his Itchweeed impression while cleaning Tom's yard, Tom was contacted by the company regarding his appearance that evening.

"Nothing too physical, then." Tom summarised "Yeah, that works for me. I"ll be there as soon as I can. Okay, thanks Mr. Mc...Murphy." Tom faltered when he turned around and came face-to-face with a funny-looking guy with a weed-eater in his hand.

"I hit them weeds like a motha-fucka, dog!" He said

"All of them? You work fast!" Tom peeked out the window. Itchweeed had done a pretty decent job, considering.

"Yeah... I ain't seen this many weeds since I was back in the B.C. There was this wizard, dog, and he had all these rooms, and every one of them was filled with that shit! But I took care of them motha-fuckas. Then I asked him, 'Wizard, what are all these rooms for, dog?' He never told me, just sent me back to my own time." Itchweeed replied

"What do I owe ya?" Tom asked

"Dog, I don't do it for the cash, man. I do it for the fun. It's my life... it's what I was born to do." Itchweeed raised his weed-eater over his head like a hockey player hoisting the Stanley Cup.

"Whatever floats ya. If you do happen to see Jeff any time soon, tell him his brother will be back any time with lunch, and we're starting with or without him." Tom walked away. With every minute, he was learning more about Jeff, and wondered how Matt had put up with this for as long as he did.

By the time Matt returned with lunch, there was no signs of Itchweeed, other than a nicely manicured lawn.

"Have fun while I was gone?" He asked

"Not really." Tom answered "I hired a new yard boy. Goes by the name of Itchweeed. Did a helluva job."

"Itchweeed?" Matt groaned, slapping his forehead. "Oh, man, are you sure you still wanna be a part of this family?"

"Do I have a choice, now?" Tom replied "Let's eat!"

"Jeffro! Lunch!" Matt called up the stairs.

Footsteps on the stairs preceded Jeff's arrival. All traces of his alter-ego had disappeared.

"Anyway, I got the job." Tom said, over mouthfuls of take-out chicken.

"Awesome, dude. When do ya start?" Jeff asked. Apparently Jeff and Itchweeed didn't talk much or he would've already known the answer to that question.

"Tonight."

"In town?" Matt asked

"Tonight, yes. After that, I'm on God's good humor. I'll be traveling a lot." Tom answered, praying that Matt didn't ask who he was gonna work for. He didn't.

"You're still going to the show, right?" Jeff asked

"Oh, yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world." Tom answered, realizing his near-fatal slip. "I won't be coming back here tonight, that's for sure." Hopefully, that would explain why he was packing a suitcase.

"We're heading out in a couple hours ourselves." Matt said "Early call for us."

"Cool." Tom answered

Matt and Jeff left first, after making sure that EVERYTHING (read: Bunny) they had brought with them was packed.

"I guess I'll see you at the show." Matt said. Jeff was too busy hugging Tom again.

"You sure will."

"Hopefully we'll see you sometime after that too."

"Yeah... that'd be cool."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Tom had to try hard not to crack. "I have a feeling our paths are gonna cross again."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Tom makes his debut, but how will his brothers' react? _

_To slashdlite, your feedback is always appreciated, as is anyone else's. Don't sugarcoat it. If there's something you don't like, let me know! _

_Till the next chapter gets written, motha-fuckas!  
_


	3. Brother, Can You Spare a Swanton?

Brother, Can You Spare a Swanton?

"This contest is scheduled for one fall... introducing first, accompanied by Randy Orton, here are Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase... the Legacy!"

Backstage, Matt and Jeff paced. They wanted to put on a real hot performance tonight, not that they didn't every night, but tonight they had Tom at ringside watching. Little did they know how 'hot' the performance was going to end up.

The Legacy entered with their customary pomp, taking their time to taunt the crowd and generally make themselves even more hated, if that is possible.

"And their opponents... from Cameron, North Carolina, Matt and Jeff... the Hardy Boyz!"

The Hardys were one of the few teams who had three different entrances, depending on the occasion. Today was the 'classic' entrance, for lack of a better term.

Glad-handing the fans as they passed, they did manage to take an extra second when they passed where Tom was standing, cheering with the rest of the masses.

"Legacy, my ass!" Tom shouted "You guys are the real legacy in the WWE!"

"Thanks, bro. We won't disappoint you." Matt gave him a simple high-five, while Jeff opted for his customary hug. This brought squeals of jealousy from some of the Hardy fans sitting nearby, especially a couple of young women in the seats beside him.

"I love you Jeff!" One of them shouted, while her seatmate professed the same thing for Matt.

"Go get em, bro's." Tom smiled "You can't let the ladies down!"

"You got it, Tommy." Jeff answered. Matt just smiled.

"You know the Hardys?" The girl to his immediate right asked once the noise had dropped several hundred decibels.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but we go back a few years." Tom answered, crossing his legs and arms, beginning to intently study the match.

"Cool."

All of them were soon caught up in the match, which was the plan. The less attention Tom brought to himself, the easier it would be for him to set the stage. And seventeen minutes later, the stage was set.

The fans were getting riled up, watching Legacy use every dirty trick in the book to win, and the Hardys countering every one, sometimes with only milliseconds to spare. Somehow, Matt pulled out a Twist of Fate on Cody, planting his face into the mat. Like a cat, he tagged in Jeff, who Swantoned the prone form and covered him for the victory.

The fans erupted. Ted and Randy looked decidedly pissed and according to the script, attacked the Hardys while they were celebrating their victory. With a little help from a recovering Cody Rhodes, they managed a beat down on both their opponents.

"Booo!" Tom shouted "You suck Randy!"

Randy paused in mid-punch and slid from the ring, standing nose-to-nose with Tom, while his Legacy cohorts continued their attacks on Matt and Jeff. Without a word, Randy grabbed Tom by the shirt collar and tossed him over the security rail.

Matt and Jeff looked on, confused, while Randy kicked Tom several times.

"Oh my God, King! Orton's really snapped. He's attacking a fan!" Cole shouted

"The fan must've said something to him." Jerry answered

"Orton's just lost it... it's not bad enough that he attacked Stephanie several weeks back, now he's stooped to this! We need to get security out here!"

Matt and Jeff, already exhausted from the match earlier and now being worn out by the second attack could only watch as Randy rolled their brother into the ring and laid him out with an RKO.

"Feed me." He shouted to first Ted, then Cody, who propelled Jeff, then Matt, into the waiting arms of Randy who delivered two more RKO's. Legacy stood over the bodies of the three Hardys, their own celebration beginning.

Road agents and referees alike flooded the ring, followed by a stretcher-bearer. Legacy was efficiently removed from the ring, yet they continued to taunt the fans, the Hardys, and anyone else who would listen while being herded up the ramp. At the top, there was time for one more pose and several more threats before being pushed behind the curtain.

Matt slowly got to his feet, still groggy. Holding onto the ropes, he stared at the mess in the ring. Jeff was on all fours, gasping for air, while being attended to. Tom hadn't moved a muscle since the RKO. It took a second for what had just happened to register, but when it did, Matt jumped over Jeff, almost kicking him in the ribs, and knelt by Tom.

"Tommy... you okay, bro?" Matt yelled

Tom groaned. "Matty... what happened?"

"You got RKO'ed." Matt cradled his brother's head while the stretcher was placed under his back and a collar around his neck.

"Where's Jeff?" Tom moaned, now immobile on the backboard.

"Dude, right here." Jeff crawled over to the other side. "Damn that Randy!"

"Let's move him." Tom was slid out of the ring, onto the stretcher, and wheeled up the ramp.

"Which one of you told him I was gonna be here tonight?" Tom demanded

"Wasn't me, man." Matt replied "Jeffro?"

"Don't fuckin' look at me, either. Orton better have a fuckin' good explanation for this shit." Jeff said, determination etched on his face.

"Well, someone told him." Tom almost laughed, looking at how serious the other Hardys were taking this. If either of them had stopped to think the whole situation out, they might have come to the conclusion that this was on the run-sheet. Maybe the RKO's scrambled their Southern brains a little?

The stretcher was loaded onto an ambulance and it drove away. Matt and Jeff headed for the other locker room to confront Legacy.

As soon as the vehicle turned the corner, it suddenly stopped. A solo figure jumped out the back and ran back the way he'd just came. If everything went accordingly, he should make his appearance just as Matt and Jeff were getting in the three faces of Legacy.

"What the fuck, man?" Jeff shouted

"Hey, he got in my face." Randy replied "He's just lucky he still has all his teeth." The inference was crystal clear.

"You son of a bitch!" Matt jumped Randy, fists flying. After the first one connected, Randy had to quickly defend himself. Matt was throwing serious knocks and Jeff was doing the same to both Cody and Ted.

Personnel soon separated them.

"Yeah, you want a piece of us, Hardys? How about next week?" Randy taunted, seeing a figure suddenly materialize just out of the fields of vision of both Matt and Jeff. "If you can find someone who's willing to get beat to within an inch of their life, you have a match..."

"I'm sure they can." Tom stepped out of the shadows. "How about the three of you against the three of us?"

"I don't know who you are, or why you think you can stick your nose in Legacy's business, but we'll be more than happy to finish what I started." Once more, Legacy allowed themselves to get pushed away.

"How's the head?" Matt asked

"Fine. They gave me a couple aspirin." Tom replied "How'd I look out there?" He decided it was best to let the secret out before things got more confusing.

"This was your job interview?" Matt asked

"Busted. I thought Connecticut might've given it away." Tom answered "I was praying that you wouldn't ask me what company it was with."

"Then this whole thing was..."

"...Guilty as charged." Tom answered, laughing.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jeff demanded

"Same reason we don't always tell everyone everything... we still like to get honest reactions." Vince strode over, Legacy following close behind. "So, we're set for next week. Legacy vs the three Hardy Boyz."

Matt and Jeff knew they'd been had, but were good enough sports to laugh it off rather quickly.

"We'll just have to do an in-ring promo to set it up at the top of the show next week, and build it from there." Vince instructed "You can play this however you want... I'm giving you reign."

"Thanks, Vince." Matt felt a little stupid for having fallen for this, but at least he wasn't the only one.

"Well, that was fun." Tom straightened his hair. "Now what do we do? I sure can't go back to my seat."

"We're gonna change." Matt grabbed Jeff by the elbow and led him away. "Go find a monitor or something. You can watch the rest of the show from back here. I still can't believe we fell for that..."

"I knew it was part of the show." Jeff announced proudly.

"Bullshit, Jeffro." Matt scoffed "You were almost in tears out there."

After the show, Matt, Jeff, Randy, Cody, and Ted made plans to go out for a few drinks. Tom would've been quite happy just to drive home. He hadn't been booked on any house shows until after he made his 'official' debut the following week, but he was coerced into coming. A decision he immediately regretted when he saw the bar they had chosen to drop their cash into.

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Tom asked "I've had some bad experiences in this place."

"Like what?" Jeff asked. After dishing on Matt earlier, he wanted to hear details on Tom's sordid past.

"I'd rather not go into it." Tom answered "Just drop me here."

"Story! Story! Story!" Jeff chanted

"Drop it, Jeffro." Matt ordered. Sitting beside Tom, he could see that his brother was dead serious about not wanting to talk about whatever had happened at that club.

"Driver, can we stop for a second?" Everyone had assumed that they were going to have a few at this club, so no one was driving. They'd hailed two cabs, The Hardys in one and Legacy in the other.

The lead cab pulled over and Tom got out.

"I'll see you next week." He said, and quickly disappeared down the street.

The other car had pulled in behind.

"Hey, Tom, what's going on?" Randy shouted out the window.

"Just follow Matt and Jeff." He shouted "I'm not going." He looked angry about something.

"Bad part of town to be walking in." Randy said

"So? Have fun. I'll see you next week." Tom started walking faster. Randy thought about getting out and following, but Tom had already disappeared down one of the side alleys by the time he stuck his head back out the window.

"What was that about?" Cody asked

"Dunno." Randy replied

"I thought Tom was joining us." Randy said at the club.

"So did we. He said he had some bad times here." Matt explained "And then a certain someone started bothering him about it."

Everyone turned to stare at Jeff.

"Sorry. I didn't think he meant it..."

"That's your problem, Jeffro. Sometimes you don't think. Let's just have a few and forget about it."

"Aren't you worried about him wandering the streets alone?" Randy asked. This was not what you would call a good neighborhood.

"He can take care of himself." Matt said "He is the big brother of the family."

The second Tom ducked into the alley, he immediately clutched his stomach and vomited. The sight of that place, and what had happened, had made him physically ill. It used to be one of his favorite hangouts, but now he couldn't even stand the thought of it... life had so much simpler before that night.

"Hey Tommy, your usual?" Tom was a regular and always drank the same thing: rye and coke on the rocks, or if he was in a real good mood, a double.

"Yeah, Craig, make it a double tonight, though." Tom looked around. The place was almost empty, but in a few hours it would be wall-to-wall people. "And keep 'em coming."

"Good day at work?" Craig asked

"You could say that." Tom smiled, emptying the glass in one shot and sliding it back to the bartender.

"Am I running you a tab tonight?" Craig asked. This was normally not permitted, but for the amount of time and money that Tom had pumped into this place since discovering it during his days at University, the owner bent the rules a little for him.

"I'm square with you from last night, right?" Tom asked "I mean that hundred covered everything?"

"Oh yeah, we weren't sure if you mean to tip that much." Craig slig an envelope over to him. In it was a little over thirty dollars, the change from the previous evening's binge.

"Yeah, I did." Tom slid the envelope back without so much as a glance inside it. "You let me get away with more than some of the other idiots around here, so it's the least I can do."

"Well, how about another, then?" Tom smiled, sliding his empty glass back again.

Several hours, and many doubles later, Tom staggered out the door, completely bombed. Every time he went there, the result was the same... completely drunk, a little lighter in the wallet, and angry at himself for doing it. Not that he minded getting drunk, he just knew he was going to pay for it that morning.

"Wait up, cutie!" At first Tom thought the comment was directed toward one of the other inebriates, but soon realized that he was the drunk that was being hailed.

"Hey." Tom answered, his Southern accent becoming a little more pronounced.

"I was watchin' you all night, sugar."

"Oh really, why waste your time on me... I'm sure there were several Neanderthals that would kill to take you home." Tom sized up the young lady. Too much make-up, too little clothes, and she looked like she needed a shave. Maybe that was just the street lights bouncing off her mascara, Tom didn't know, but he knew that he wanted nothing to do with her.

"Yeah, but you're the one that I want." Her hand snaked lower, grabbing Tom's crotch. He sucked in his breath. "So how about you and I find a nice quiet spot and have some alone time?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Tom was reacting to her touch, yet something about the situation seemed so wrong. "I'm not from around here."

"That's okay, sugar. I gotta place." She dragged Tom around a corner and into a dark alley.

"Some place." Tom thought, allowing himself to be led blindly.

Her 'place' turned out to be a doorway in the back of the alley, where she proceeded to use her mouth on Tom. Believe it or not, Tom wanted nothing to do with this, but it's hard to protest when some girl you just met has your pants down and your dick in her mouth.

"Damn, you're good." Tom groaned

"You ain't seen nothing yet, honey." She returned to sucking Tom, harder and faster than before. Tom could feel his balls tightening, his orgasm rapidly approaching. Her fingers snaked between his legs, probing his other entrance.

"What the fuck..." Tom's eyes bulged when his asshole was penetrated by her long fingers that made right for his g-spot. The second she hit it, he lost all control and started coming and coming hard.

"Shit." Tom gasped "Where'd you learn to do that?" None of his girlfriends had ever been able to make him feel that good. Half of them couldn't give a decent blowjob if they had a gun pointed to their heads. Most of the time, Tom got off just so he could end the encounter. This was one of the few times he'd truly enjoyed it, despite his earlier uneasiness.

"Does it matter, honey?"

"Hell, no. My turn." Tom reached between her legs and immediately pulled it back. "What the hell?" Apparently 'she' had some extra equipment down there.

"What's the problem?" This girl, who he now realized wasn't a girl after all, looked at him like this was normal.

"What's the problem..." Tom looked at her like she was crazy. "I'll tell you what the problem is... you have a penis!" He pushed past, and he/she made the mistake of trying to grab his shoulder as he stormed past. His anger at a level he never knew before, he turned and swung. The tranny went down in a pile and Tom kicked him or her several times in the ribs, hearing at least one snap, before he was even close to being under control.

"Listen, lady, or whatever you are... if I ever see you again, I'll end it for you on the spot. Are we understanding each other?"

Blood dripped from his or her lips from the busted ribs.

"Favor me with a thumbs-up if you understand me?" Tom squatted in front of her, his eyes boring holes through her.

One thumbs-up later and Tom left the alley, satisfied. Oh, did I mention he beat 'her' into unconsciousness as a warning? Well, he did and believe him, he felt a lot better for it. He never went back to that club again, or for that matter that area until that night, yet the memories flooded his mind like it had been only yesterday.

But that was then, and this was now...

Tom finished upchucking. He'd spent several long days and nights following the incident trying to comprehend not just what had happened, but the aftermath. He'd done too good a job. The next morning, s/he was found by the refuse collectors, dead. He'd been living in fear for months after that someone at the club would recognize him from that evening and the cold case would be reopened.

"Hey... I know you!" Tom looked up, scared that it was a cop or someone from that night years ago. It was neither. It was one of the girls that had been sitting next to him at the show earlier that evening.

"Huh?" Tom wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh, hi."

"You okay?" She asked. An honest question, considering the last time she'd seen Tom, he was on a stretcher, being wheeled up the ramp.

"Just had some bad chow." Tom answered

"I guess an RKO didn't help much." She smiled "We were goin' to The Snake Pit for a drink or two... wanna come with?"

"Thanks, but I just turned down an invitation to go there." Tom answered

"Oh, come on." Tom was grabbed by the arms and manhandled toward the entrance. Whether the offer was legit, or the girls just wanted to use him as leverage to get some autographs, was unclear.

"Girls, please. I really don't feel like doing this!" Tom struggled

"Pussy!"

"Look!" Tom broke their grip. "I don't know what your game is, but if your looking for a celebrity encounter, Matt and Jeff and a few of their cronies are already inside. I'm sure you can find one of them to notch your bedpost with!" It wasn't that he didn't want the company, irregardless of his nausea, he just didn't want his past catching up with him. He knew far too many people who still went to that bar to feel comfortable.

Tom went back in the other direction. At the mention of Matt and Jeff, the girls ran to the entrance, obviously really excited about the prospect of 'notching their bedpost'.

"Sorry, guys, but you're better equipped to deal with it than me." Tom sighed "And today started out on such a high. Taxi!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_A little background for you... now you know why Tom doesn't like being touched!_

_Back to the real action next chapter, both in the ring and in the bed!_

_Hope you enjoy!  
_


	4. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

You know the deal... read on if you dare!

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

"You seen Tom?" Matt asked, pacing the locker room.

"Nah, bro." Jeff was sitting on a bench, lacing up his boots. "I'm sure he'll show."

"He'd better. I'd like to know what he is gonna say during our promo tonight." Matt said, staring at his reflection.

"Considering this is his big debut, he's sure been on the DL about it." Jeff brushed some imaginary dust off his pants and stood.

"It's been almost a week." Matt said, still looking in the mirror. "Have you even seen our wayward brother?" He was of course talking about Tom's abrupt departure from the cab and his disappearance shortly after. Both Matt and Jeff had repeatedly tried to contact Tom, but only got his voice messaging.

"You guys ready for tonight?" Legacy member Cody Rhodes stuck his head in.

"If that brother of ours ever shows up." Matt barked "Shit, we're on in less than an hour!"

"Relax, man." Randy Orton also happened to stop by. "I'm sure he's gonna make it."

"It woulda been nice if he'd actually talked to us since last week." Jeff lamented

"You mean..."

"Nothing since he bailed on us." Jeff said "He said he had a bad experience in that place, then asked the cab driver to let him out. Didn't give us a chance to let us go somewhere else. It's my fault..." he sighed

"Jeff, it's not your fault." Matt said, dropping on the bench beside him. "There was no way you coulda known."

"Yeah, Jeff, whatever it was, it sure as hell isn't your fault."

"Listen to 'em, bro."

"Tommy! What the hell?" Jeff shouted, as if his brother's appearance was unexpected.

"Sorry I'm late guys, I had some shit to deal with." Tom pushed between Randy and Cody and went to his locker.

"We were starting to worry." Matt said

"Yeah... should've told us." Jeff sulked

"I'll see you guys in the ring, okay. Looks like I got more shit to deal with." Tom flung his bag into the locker and slammed the door.

"C'mon, Cody, we'll see ya's later." Randy pulled Cody away with him, the younger one obviously wanting to stay.

Tom exhaled loudly, then turned to face his siblings. "I've been giving this a lot of thinking, and I should probably either apologize for last week, or at least explain it."

"That would be nice." Matt retorted

"Will you accept my apology for now and I promise I'll explain it later. If I starting cleaning the skeletons out of my closet right now, I can't guarantee what shape I'll be in for our match." Tom returned to his locker and started emptying his gear onto the shelves.

"Tom, you gotta know. We're family now. And family sticks together through the good, the bad, and the ugly." Matt replied

"Yeah... there's nothing you can say that will make us think any different about you."

"What if I'm a cross-dressing Nazi Eskimo by night and direct midget porn by day?" Tom asked

Both Matt and Jeff's jaws dropped. "I think then we might need to talk, bro." Matt said

"I'm kidding." Tom pulled his ring gear out. "I hope that damn seamstress finally got my measurements right."

Like his normal look, his wrestling attire was somewhere between Matt's conservative appearance and Jeff's not-so-conservative appearance. The pants were typical Hardy-slash-cargo look, but his shirt was half-black, half-technicolor: a cross between his straight-laced side and the daredevil side of his brothers.

"I'll be back." Tom headed for the showers to change.

"Maybe we should tell him he's gonna hafta get naked in front of the guys at some point." Matt said

"I heard that." Tom stuck his head out. "I don't mind changing in front of the boys, I'm just a little nervous about stripping in front of family. I wouldn't want you to get jealous."

"Don't flatter yourself, man." Jeff chuckled. Having seen each other naked too many times too count, both Matt and Jeff knew what kind of club the other carried and the thought of either of them being jealous brought a knowing smile to their faces.

"Well, whaddaya think?" Tom asked, returning.

"Meh." Jeff replied

"I'm sorry you don't like it, but not all of us can pull off the flamer look." Tom said

"Flamer!" Jeff shouted "I like girls... sometimes."

"So the rumor goes." Tom stared at his reflection in the mirror. "I don't like it much either, but it's a bit too late now. So, how do you want to do this promo thingy?"...

Raw opened with a bang. The Legacy/Hardy spot was in segment one and all parties were ready.

Legacy entered first.

"Last week, here on Raw," Randy addressed the crowd. "people say I stooped lower than ever before when I attacked a supposed innocent fan at ringside. Well, let me tell you something. Everything that Legacy does has a purpose and our purpose was to hit the Hardy Boys where it hurt the most. You see, we all know how much punishment you can take in the ring, but outside you're just as vulnerable as anyone of these people sitting here. So why don't you two come down the ring and let us finish off what we started last week..."

The Hardy music cut him off mid-rant. Matt and Jeff walked out onto the stage, looking deadly serious. Jeff wasn't even dancing, that's how serious he was.

"As many of you know, our father Gilbert passed away a couple weeks ago. But before he died, he told Jeff and I something. You see, Legacy, Jeff and I were raised to always tell the truth, to never keep any secrets from the ones we love. I guess you could say that our Dad didn't practice what he preached..."

"Randy, Cody, Ted, you made the biggest mistakes of your career when you started messin' with the Hardy family." Jeff took the microphone from his brother and went on the offensive. "Did you for one moment think that we'd let you get away with the crap you pulled here last week? Did you think that we'd just say whatever and let you three go on doin' this? You see, that fan you attacked was the missing piece of the Hardy family: our brother Tom. And tonight, we're gonna get our revenge. Tonight, your legacy ends and the Hardy legacy begins." Matt and Jeff started walking toward the ring.

"I know you guys are from the South, and the education system down there sucks, but even you boys should be able to count... there are three of us and only two of you!" Randy said "If you want to get beat up again, by all means, step in."

"We may be a coupla simple country boys, but that doesn't mean we're stupid. We came prepared."

The Hardy music played again.

"That's your cue." Tom took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage. The crowd cheered loudly, while Legacy looked surprised.

Tom walked partway down the aisle, standing between his brothers. Jeff passed him his mic.

"Randy, Randy, Randy. As a third-generation superstar, I would've thought your pop and grandpa would've taught you a little respect for family. Maybe if the Cowboy would've put you over his knee a little more, we wouldn't have this problem." Tom shook his head. "And I'm sure your grandfather would be rolling over in his grave right now seeing what an asshole his grandson has grown up to be."

The fans started their chant of 'asshole'.

"Hey, in case you've forgotten, you were the one who got in my face!" Randy yelled

"And I'm about to do the same again." Tom strolled down the aisle, Matt and Jeff hanging back a step. "There are some things you just don't do... you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with the Hardy Boyz."

The mics were dropped and in a second, the three Hardy brothers were in the ring, pounding the living hell out of Legacy. Things weren't going so well for Legacy until the music of the chairman stopped them all. Vince McMahon, in all his finest, came out.

"Randy Orton," he bellowed "I haven't forgotten what you did to my family either. If you think that what happened at Backlash last year settled our feud, then you are dead wrong. Tonight in that very ring we are gonna have a little six-man tag action. On one side, it will be Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase and on the other side... the Hardy Boyz!"

"That's fine with us." Randy shouted

"But just like at Backlash, it's not gonna be a regular six-man tag team match. That world championship is gonna be on the line as well... and Randy, that means if you, or anyone on your team gets pinned, then you lose that title!"

Randy went ape shit, kicking the ropes in anger. Matt, Jeff, and Tom looked at each other. "Oh yeah... it is on!" Matt shouted

"Enjoy your title reign while it lasts, Orton. Because after tonight, I think you'll be several pounds of gold lighter." McMahon stood on the stage, arms folded, while in the ring, the Hardys eyed Legacy like a pack of rabid hyenas.

(Out of respect for Chris Benoit, I chose a different special of rabid animal.)

"I'll do to them what I did to your family." Orton shouted

"That's what I thought you'd say... get me a referee! The match starts now!" Vince replied

The bell rang as soon as an official was located. Matt opened up against Ted. Several moves later, Ted tagged in Cody and they began to double-team Matt with punches and kicks. Matt fought back with a few shots of his own, but was beaten down into the corner, where Randy was tagged in. The assault on Matt continued, while on the apron Jeff and Tom looked on.

"You get the feelin' we're gonna be standing here awhile?" Tom asked, faking a yawn.

"Yeah, dude."Jeff replied

"Plans later?" Tom asked

"Nah. You?"

"Well, maybe we could find a place I'm comfortable in and have a few. Invite some of the guys?"

"Sure, bro." Jeff answered

"If Matt if ever gets his butt over here to tag, we can clear it." Tom watched.

Matt was being decimated by Randy, Cody, and Ted, and sometimes double- and triple-team combinations. Whipped into the ropes by Orton, Matt ducked the clothesline and nailed the Side effect... his first offensive move of the match. Both men staggered toward their corners, looking to tag. Randy made it first, bringing in Ted, while Matt, with a last-second leap, tagged in Jeff.

"Damn, bro, I know you want the title, but you do have a team to help." Tom mock-chided him.

"Whatever, man." Matt gasped

While Jeff fought Ted, Tom repeated the offer he'd made to Jeff a moment earlier. Matt was all for it, assuming he didn't get beat up much more. Nothing worse than trying to suck back drinks when you can't move for pain.

Watching Jeff and Ted, then Jeff and Cody, then Jeff and Randy fight, Tom started to wonder if he'd ever get into the match. It was his first contest, and the title was on the line, so maybe no one, even his own teammates, wanted him to win. This seemed even more plausible when Jeff tagged a beaten Matt back in, instead of the still-fresh Tom.

"I guess you don't want big brother hogging the glory." Tom sighed, a little stung by just standing around.

"Don't worry. Team Xtreme has got it under control." Jeff replied

If under control, Jeff meant that Matt was in danger of being pinned, then yes they had it under control.

"If you say so... shit!" Tom hopped in, kicking Randy in the shoulder blades, breaking up a pin attempt. While Tom and Jeff were arguing, Randy had pulled an RKO out on Matt.

"Out of the ring, rookie!" Charles Robinson pointed in the direction of the corner.

"Yes sir." Tom replied, stepping back. No sooner had he taken his place on the apron, then he was slapped on the back. Thinking it was the referee telling him to move, he whirled around, an angry comment on his lips, but it wasn't. Matt, bleeding slightly from a cut on his mouth, was standing there, a broad smile on his busted face. Behind him, Randy was writhing in pain. Matt had pulled another Side Effect out of his pocket.

"Step out, Matt."

Tom stepped in, shivering slightly with the combination of adrenaline and nervousness coursing through his system. He picked Randy up, and rocked him with a forearm to the head. Then another. And another. With each shot, Tom picked up speed and momentum, until Randy was woozy. An Irish whip into the ropes and Randy was once more flat on his back, courtesy of a Tom Hardy clothesline.

Even though it was early, Tom covered Randy. He kicked out before two.

Tom tried another whip, but Orton was ready this time... he reversed it. When Tom hit the ropes, his foot was grabbed by Ted, throwing him off-balance. Tom confronted the younger man, who immediately backed off, raising his hands in an 'it wasn't me' gesture. This was all part of Legacy's plan. Tom turned back around and bang... RKO!

"Welcome to the WWE, rookie!" Randy spat before tagging Cody back in.

Lying on the mat, Tom waited for his head to clear. "That didn't hurt." He thought, until he saw a spot of red splatter on the canvas. He'd been cut.

Randy obviously trusted his Legacy-mates to finish to now bloodied Tom for him. He stood back, watching Cody deliver punch after punch to Tom's forehead, opening him up even further.

"That's it, Rhodes. Finish him off!:" He sounded like a father giving directions to his children the way he was controlling both Ted and Cody.

"You got it!" Cody set Tom up for his move: the Cross Rhodes. Tom blocked it and started firing off elbows to the top of head a la Cody's father: Dusty.

"Can't you do anything right?" Randy raged "Ted, get in there!"

Ted interrupted, kicking Tom south of the border. Like Cody, he tried to finish Tom with his signature move, but he was also blocked. One clothesline later, Ted was on the mat. Tom stood behind him, grinning evilly. When Ted stood, Tom locked in his father's hold: the Million Dollar dream. The only thing that saved him was crushing Tom into a corner, causing him to break the hold. Problem was, it was the Hardy's corner. Matt blindly tagged in, and continued to fight Cody since Ted had entered the match illegally.

Matt and Cody were fighting in one corner, Tom and Ted were going at it in the Hardy's corner... that just left Jeff and Randy staring at each other. Jeff seized the opportunity to jump down, run halfway around the ring, and pull Randy off his perch. His face hit the apron with a satisfying thud. While the referee pulled Jeff off Randy,

(A/N I always thought that all tag matches should have more than one referee.)

and started arguing with him, Randy grabbed a chair from ringside and slid into the ring, weapon at hand. He lined up to hit Matt, who was being held by Cody; you know where this is going, but at the last second, Matt ducked. Cody took the chair to the head and went down like a tree. Seeing that all hell had broken loose, Jeff Swantoned from the top rope onto Cody. The referee had lost control. As he tried to clear Jeff out of the ring, Tom dumped Ted over the top rope and grabbed Cody. Not having his own finishing move at the moment, he borrowed Matt's and laid him out with a twist of fate.

Cody was finished. The only thing left to do was cover him, but there was a problem. Tom wasn't the legal participant. Matt was and he was outside the ring, fighting off both Ted and Randy at that moment. Tom looked at Jeff, a nod of understanding, and then two-thirds of the new Team Xtreme took flight, diving over the top rope onto the other three opponents. Five bodies lay tangled.

Tom jumped to his feet. Cody was still on his back in the ring so Tom slid in and covered him, hoping that the referee had a mind like a mongoose and would forget who was legal.

"One... two..."

Before he could count three, Tom was pulled off. Not by one of the other members of Legacy, but by Jeff!

"What the fuck, Jeffro?" Tom demanded

"It ain't your time." Jeff answered, starting to mix it up with Tom. As the announcers would inform everyone, so much was at stake in this match, even the brothers couldn't stay united.

"Fuck you." Tom fought back. Both were throwing some serious heat. And so involved were they that neither of them saw a third figure pull himself into the ring and cover a still-prone Cody.

"One... two... three!" Robinson counted

The bell rang, stopping both Jeff and Tom in mid-swing.

"The winner of this bout and the new world heavyweight champion... Matt Hardy!"

"What the hell?" Jeff and Tom shouted simultaneously. Both looked over their shoulder just in time to see Matt's arm raised. Forgetting the new-found animosity for each other, both Jeff and Tom jumped over to celebrate with Matt.

Tom couldn't help but feel a little bit betrayed. If Jeff hadn't interrupted, Tom would be the world champion, not Matt. It was obvious to him who Jeff loved more. Not to be unexpected since Jeff had known Matt for thirty-one plus years and Tom for two-plus weeks. He still felt left out. So much that he left the ring early, leaving Matt and Jeff to celebrate by themselves. He stopped at the entrance and looked back once. They were still hugging each other, and it appeared that they didn't even notice that Tom was gone.

Shaking his head sadly, Tom went backstage to get some attention for the cut on his forehead. Legacy was already backstage, nursing their wounds, when he passed.

"Great match, rookie!" Randy congratulated him.

"Thanks. Where's the trainer's room?"

"Down the hall. Third door on the left." Ted replied, an ice pack on his left knee.

Tom stepped inside around the same time his partners were making their way back.

"Randy, have you...?"

"Trainer's room. Congrats Matt." Randy said "But I'll get it back."

"I'm sure you'll try."

Tom was on his back, waiting for the freezing to take effect when Matt and Jeff barged in.

"You could knock." Tom said crossly. "What if I had been with a girl?"

"In the trainer's room? Yeah, right." Matt slung the belt over his shoulder.

"We missed you out there." Jeff changed the subject quickly.

"It was your celebration." Tom winced when the first stitch went in. "I felt like that sprig of parsley on the plate that nobody eats."

"You're a part of this team as much as either of us. We all win or lose as a team." Matt said.

"Even though I should be the one wearing the gold." Tom grumbled.

"We had to come up with three finishes for the match. If you had bothered to show up on time, you might've been the champ." Matt replied

"Yeah, dude. That was one of the choices. We had to pull our shit together and you weren't here when we needed you." Jeff added

"Whatever, man, you don't have to save my feelings. I know my place... I'll always be the third Hardy boy." Tom sighed, staring at the ceiling lights while the doctor finished sewing.

"We're sorry you..."

"Why don't you two get changed?" Tom sounded like he really didn't want to be around anyone at that second. "I'll join you as soon as the good doctor is finished putting Humpty back together again."

Matt and Jeff looked at each other.

"We are still going out, right?" Tom read their confused expressions.

"Oh, yeah, we thought you meant something else."

"I can see that. Go." Tom smiled, shaking his head.

"Hold still." The doctor scolded. "Unless you want a crooked eyebrow."

Matt and Jeff left the trainer's room, still a little irritated with Tom's recent attitude. If he was gonna last long in the WWE, he would need to turn it off after the match, assuming that's what it was.

"Is it just me?" Tom asked the doc.

"No, you do need to turn off the character once the match is over." He replied "Remember, everything we do is for the fans. You can't let story lines dictate personal feelings. It's no good for you, the people you work with, or the company. All set. I'll see you in a week or so to have them removed."

"Thanks doc. For the repairs and the advice." Tom said "I guess I gotta go apologize to them again."

The other Hardys had already cleaned up and changed by the time Tom returned. They were waiting patiently, watching the next segment on a monitor near catering.

"Be with you in five." He said

"No rush." Jeff replied, staring intently at the screen. The next segment was the weekly episode of "The Dirt Sheet". Miz and Morrison were busy ragging on their opponents for next week's match: Primo and Carlito.

Tom couldn't help but notice how transfixed Jeff was and it probably had nothing to do with the stimulating topic.

"Whatever..." The more he learned about his new family, the less he really wanted to know, and the more he craved either some privacy or a nice cold shower. "I'll see you later."

Tom sat down in front of his locker and stared off into space. "If only life was that simple." He thought. "Oh well..."

Seeking either answers or some relief for his aching muscles, Tom searched out a lonely shower stall and spent the better part of the evening trying to wash both his external and internal pain away.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Matt's been taking so much crap from people, I thought I'd do something nice for a change..._

_Keep on reading, fans. I do appreciate it, although a few more reviews would be nice. Even if you hate it, I'd like to know._


	5. The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants

The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants

"Now this is what I call a night out!" Tom raised his almost-empty glass of beer to his mouth and finished it in one gulp. "Even though the company is a little short."

The 'guys' turned out to be Matt, Jeff, Shawn Michaels, and Glen. Not that Tom minded. He was used to drinking alone. Even if Matt and Jeff had been the only two to tag along, he still would've been happy. He just tossed the last comment to make a few people sweat.

"More may show up later." Matt replied, staring at his plate of sushi. "That's one advantage of being the curtain-jerkers. We can be the first ones out of the arena."

"True." Tom waved his empty glass in the direction of the bar. A waitress soon came by with a refill.

"We keepin' you awake, Shawn?"

"What? Nah, I'm just texting the wife. Let her know I'm not doing anything un-Christian." Shawn was hunched over his Blackberry, and from where Tom was sitting, squeezed between Jeff and Glen, it looked like he was falling asleep.

Jeff raised his glass in a toast. "To Matty, the new world champions and the bestest big brother in the whole world."

"To Matty." The table chorused, clinking their glasses and, in true fashion, chugging their drinks. For some, this was more difficult than others.

Tom joined in happily, though he felt a stab of pain at the latter part of Jeff's toast. There had been tension between Jeff and him all day, yet Tom could not figure why. He thought that they were getting along fine. No reasons for what Tom perceived as resentment coming from Jeff were apparent. He was gonna have to ask Jeff about this sometime, but now was neither the time nor the place. He just smiled and finished his beer.

While they waited for the waitress to bring another round of drinks, Shawn and Glen both excused themselves to use the men's room.

"Do you still want that explanation?" Tom asked

"Only if ya wanna tell us." Matt said, his voice slurring slightly.

"Well, this is what happened... hey, isn't that Nitro, I mean Morrison?"

"How can you tell?" Matt asked

"Bevy of girls hanging on him?" Tom pointed out. "And I thought we were supposed to lose the character once the show was over."

"Tom, there's one thing you need to know." Matt clapped him on the back. "He lives his gimmick."

"You mean he really is gay, but tries to hide it?" Tom replied

"What?" Jeff perked up.

"Hey, it's just a rumor I heard." Tom answered

"Oh." Jeff went back into his dreamland.

"What's up with him?" Tom asked

"Jeffro's got a crush on him." Matt replied

"Uh-huh." Tom looked back at the bar where Morrison was standing with his entourage.

"I wonder how much he's paying them?" Tom wondered silently. "C'mon Jeff, let's go."

"Where?" Jeff snapped back to the world of the real.

"We're gonna go talk to Morrison." Tom answered

"What?" Jeff looked horrified

"Oh, come on, what's the worst that can happen. He turns you down? I'd rather that happen than sit here beside you, watching you drool into your pasta." Tom stood up.

Morrison had just told some funny story about him and K-Fed, which made all his girls laugh, though most of them looked about as thick as a phone book.

"Hey, John." Tom greeted him "Sorry to intrude."

Morrison obviously had no idea who he was, but he must've figured he was a friend of Jeff's.

"Ladies, can you give me a moment."

Giggling into their obviously-paid-for drinks, the girls walked to the other end of the bar. Actually, walked is not the best word to use. There was so much air in their heads, that floated was probably a better anachronism to use.

"Do I know you?" Morrison asked

"Not officially." Tom answered "Tom Hardy." He extended his hand. Morrison declined to shake. Not put off, Tom stuck his hand back in his pocket.

"Oh yeah, the rookie."

Being called a rookie by someone younger than he was always made Tom smile. One of these days, he was gonna wipe the mat with everyone who had called him rookie, but now he was just biding his time.

"I've been called worse." Tom stated

"Yeah, I'll bet you have. So what do you want?" Morrison sneered

"Just figured I'd stop by and introduce myself." Tom said, not at all put off by Morrison's act.

"Well, now that you've done that, can you please leave? My ladies and I were in the middle of something."

"I can see that." Tom laughed "But if you want to actually talk to someone non-inflatable, we're over at that table." He pointed to the back of the club. Matt, Shawn, and Glen all waved politely. "C'mon, Jeff, let's find that waitress and see where our drinks are."

They returned to their table.

"Why'd you make me do that?" Jeff whined

"I read body language really well." Tom whispered "And I saw something."

"You did?" Jeff squeaked "What?"

"The whole time I was talking to Morrison, he was staring at you."

"Probably wanted me to leave and take you with me." Jeff mumbled

"I don't think so. I think he likes you Jeff." Tom answered

Jeff looked back. Morrison was holding court again with his ladies but the second he saw Jeff, he lowered his shades halfway and looked right at him. Jeff almost fell and would have if Tom hadn't grabbed his arm.

"You see." He whispered to Jeff. "Now all you gotta do is make him want you as badly as you want him. I just don't want to catch the two of you doing it on my couch."

"Thanks, bro." Without Tom, Jeff never would've had the courage to do that. Although he didn't do much anyway, just stood there trying not to think dirty thoughts.

"That's what I am here for. Ah, drinks."

The table chatted, ate, and drank their way through the better part of the evening. Tom kept glancing casually at Jeff, who seemed to have his eyes glued at the front of the club where Morrison still stood with his girls, though their number was going down.

"'Sketti's getting cold, Jeffro." Matt needled him.

"Why you ordered spaghetti in a place like this is a mystery to me." Tom said, his own mouth full of crab casserole.

"I like sketti." Jeff explained, twirling some on his fork.

"Well, don't look now but a T-bone is heading right for ya." Tom whispered

Jeff looked up, against what he'd just been told, and his heart almost stopped. John Morrison had dismissed the rest of his girls and he was walking right toward them.

"Finally decided to join some real people?" Tom asked

"Yeah, you know, sometimes it gets tiring being me. Having all the girls all want a piece of the Shaman of Sexy can be hard work." Morrison replied

"Well, you are quite welcome to join us." The table was down to only the Hardys, Shawn and Glen having left about an hour ago.

Morrison grabbed the spot that had been vacated by Glen. Ironically it was also the seat next to Jeff. Tom looked at Matt, who raised his eyebrows slightly. Tom nodded back.

"I'll be back in a bit." Matt said "I gotta make a call."

"I gotta use the facilities." Tom also made his excuse, leaving Jeff and Morrison alone at the table. "Don't get into any trouble while we're gone. And don't get sauce all over the place."

"I, uh, saw the Dirt Sheet tonight." Jeff stammered

"Yeah, I didn't think you watched it." Morrison replied

"Not often, but I do catch it sometimes. Y'know, when I'm not getting ready for a match." Jeff answered

"Well, I hope you like it." Morrison said "That was the last one."

"What?" Jeff exclaimed

"They told me today. The whole Miz-Morrison split is official." Morrison said, looking a little sad.

"I wondered how long they'd keep you together after the fight you had at the draft." Jeff slurped a long piece of spaghetti into his mouth, and yes he was wishing it was something else he was sucking on.

"I don't know what they got planned for me, but whatever. Life goes on." Morrison said "Damn! I left my drink at the bar!"

"No prob." Jeff waved his arms around until a waitress came by.

"What'll it be?"

"Six shots of Jack." Jeff said

"You got it hun." The waitress replied.

"Maybe we could start fighting again." Jeff suggested "Like back in the old I-C days."

"Maybe. But don't you have that angle with Legacy going?" Morrison said

"Now that Matty's the champ, he'll probably be pushed in the singles' matches. Tom's just starting out, so he won't be doin' much, so that just leaves me blowin' like a tumbleweed in the wind." Jeff answered

"If it means anything, I did like workin' with ya." Morrison replied "And I'm sorry we never hung out afterward, like you'd asked, but you know my story."

"Yeah... Melina." Jeff answered

The entire locker room knew that story. Why wrestlers continue to date their co-workers and then expect their break-ups not to go around is a question that no one has yet been able to answer and probably never will. Funny thing is, the same sex couples (no names mentioned) seem to be a lot happier in general. I wonder why that is? Anyway...

"Even if we don't end up working together, if you still wanna hang out some time...?" Jeff finally said what had been on his mind for weeks.

Morrison looked over at him, an amused expression on his face. "Are you asking me for a date, Hardy?"

"Um..." Something about John's eyes that made Jeff melt. He couldn't lie to them either. "y-y-y-yes?"

"Let me check my calendar." John replied "I might be able to squeeze you in between my pedicure and Brazilian wax two weeks from tomorrow..."

Two weeks! Two fuckin' weeks! Jeff fumed silently. He'd finally gotten the courage to ask the man of his fantasies out and he was talking about two weeks. He might just as well have said no.

"You know I'm kidding, right." Morrison laughed at Jeff's hound-dog expression. "How about tomorrow? I'll pick you up around eight."

"Sure." Jeff replied "You know where I'm staying, right."

"Don't worry. I'll find you." Morrison replied

"Here are your shooters." The waitress probably could've been there sooner, but her years of experience had taught her when a conversation was not to be interrupted. This was one of those cases.

"Thanks." Jeff grabbed one, Morrison another.

They finished their first and second rounds and were just raising their third shots when Matt and Tom returned from their respective errands. Actually, they were both standing outside the club waiting for a signal from the waitress whom they had talked to on their way out.

"I gotta stop drinking so much." Tom complained "I hate having to pee every fifteen minutes."

"Maybe you need to have that checked out." Matt replied

"Thank-you doctor Hardy. Maybe I'll have the trainer look at it when he takes my stitches out." Tom retorted

"Someone must be havin' a good time." Matt looked over at his baby brother, who was having a very animated conversation with John.

"Huh... oh, hi Matty. Didn't know you were back." Jeff and John both drained their shots and looked at each other, giggling like two schoolgirls.

"I'm about ready to turn in." Tom said, stretching. "Maybe we should settle up?"

"Good idea. We've got another early call tomorrow." Matt agreed

"And I wanna hit the gym before we fly out." Tom added "I really need to work on my cardio. Even though it was my first match, I should not have been sucking air that badly."

"Cool. How you getting home Morrison?" Tom asked

"I got a limo waiting for me. If you two wanna split, I'll make sure Jeff gets home in one piece." Morrison replied

"You okay with that, bro?" Overprotective Matt kicked back in.

"Yeah, Matty. I'm not a baby any more." Jeff replied

"I know, Jeffro. But you know I do worry about you. It's ingrained in my DNA."

"I know Matty. I'll see you when I get in." Jeff replied

"Okay. I'll put Bunny to bed for you. Just don't be too late. You have the same schedule I do."

Matt and Tom paid their respective tabs and left the club.

"I think that worked out well. Thanks for the heads up." Tom said

"No prob, man. It was kinda lucky that Morrison showed up." Matt replied

"Luck had nothing to do with it." Tom answered "I heard him talking before the show about where he was going to be afterwards. But I had to stay hidden so he wouldn't think I was trying somethin'. That's why I was late for the pre-match. I hope this works out for him."

"My little brother is not one to let someone go once he has his claws into him. I hope for his sake that John feels the same way."

"I'd bet my life that he does." Tom answered "Now where did we park?"

...

"Last call at the bar, folks... last call at the bar!"

The club had gradually emptied out all night and now, at last call, there were only six or seven tables still going at it, one of which was Jeff and John. They were both happily drunk, and enjoying every minute of it.

"I think we'd better get goin' soon, dontcha think?" Jeff slurred

"Yeah, if I can find my feet." Morrison replied "I think I lost them somewhere."

"Let me help ya look." Jeff slid under the table. Morrison felt Jeff's hair ticking his legs. Then Morrison felt his whole lower half being sucked under.

"What the...?" Morrison exclaimed "Jeff, what are you doing?"

"I couldn't find your feet, but I found something just as fun."

In his current condition, Morrison wondered exactly what Jeff meant by that. He soon found out when he felt his pants being unzipped. He grabbed the table to prevent himself from sliding completely underneath when his jeans and boxers were roughly yanked down to his ankles.

"Can I get you anything else?" The waitress picked the worst time to stop by.

"No thank-you... just the... bill... please." Morrison voice went up an octave when something wet slithered up the back of his cock. Had he not been drunk, Morrison would've done something about the situation, but between the alcohol and the head he was getting, the only thought he could muster was "Thank-God this club has floor-length tablecloths."

Under the table, Jeff was living out his wildest fantasy. He had wanted to do this for forever. His tongue snaked over every contour of John's dick.

"Wallet." Jeff heard John gasp. He reached into the back of pocket of John's jeans, and slid it up to him, then returned to his sucking.

John looked at the bill and whistled. Jeff had put all the drinks they'd ordered together and the total was almost two hundred dollars.

"Wow!" Whether he was referring to the bill or what was going on under the table, we'll never know.

"Is there a problem, sir?" The waitress asked

"No... I just hope I didn't blow my wad on this." John fumbled for his Gold Card. "Here."

The waitress walked away, laughing to herself. She'd seen it all before.

"Table fourteen." She said to the bartender. "Take your time ringing it in." She winked

"Jeff, oh man, this is...I can't..." Suddenly, Jeff felt John's hands pushing him away.

"But John, we both know how badly we want this." Jeff protested, sticking his head out to stare at him.

"Jeff, I know how badly you want this, but I can't do it right now." Morrison reached for his clothes and quickly dressed.

"Later?" Jeff asked, hopefully.

"I know you have feelings for me and I'll admit I sorta feel the same. But this is just going way too fast for me. I can't just jump into a sexual relationship with you..."

"Why not?" Jeff pouted

"because, Jeff, I will end up hurting you and I don't want to do that. Maybe it's best if you find your own way home." Morrison went to the bar, paid, and was out the door in seconds.

Jeff remained alone, dazed, until the club closed. He staggered out onto the street and was lucky enough to find a cab to drive him back to the hotel.

Matt was just getting ready for bed when he heard the sound of the door open. Tom was staying in a separate room.

"Jeff, that was fast..."

"Matty, I fucked up!" Jeff said, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"Oh, no! Jeffy, what happened?"

Through sobs, Jeff told Matt the whole story.

"Oh, Jesus Christ..." Matt swore "Jeff, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Jeff cried "I blew it. I had everything I wanted and I screwed it up!"

"Jeff, calm down. It's not the end of the world. Here's Bunny... she waited up for you. Why don't you lie down and try to rest. Do you want me to talk to Morrison tomorrow?"

"MM-hm." Jeff sniffled into Bunny's soft fur. "Who you calling?" He was afraid that Matt was going to call Morrison and make things worse.

"Tommy." Matt said

"Hello?" Tom answered the phone on the first ring. "Hey Matt, what's up? He did... why, what happened?... I see. I've got a better idea... why don't I talk to Morrison tomorrow? I can be a little more persuasive than you Matt, trust me... I know exactly where he's gonna be tomorrow, don't worry about it. Alright, then, I'll talk to you tomorrow and Matt, give Jeff a hug for me, willya? G'night."

Snapping his cell phone closed with enough force to crack the cover, Tom sat down on his bed.

"John, you better have one hell of a good reason for doing what you did." He muttered

"Tom said he'd talk to Morrison tomorrow." Matt said "And he told me to give you this."

Matt hugged Jeff tightly.

"Why Matty? Why can't I ever do anything right?" Jeff sobbed into Matt's shoulder.

"Jeff, you've always been impetuous. You see a situation, you jump on it. I guess you're starting to learn that maybe you shouldn't always rush into things." Matt ruffled Jeff's hair.

"You know I can't help it sometimes."

"I know, bro. I know." Matt said

"What am I gonna do? I love him!" Jeff pleaded

"Right now, you're gonna get into your jammies, brush your teeth, and go to sleep. Tomorrow we will deal with this. Tom is gonna talk to John and find out his side. Maybe it isn't your fault, Jeffro. Maybe it's him." Matt answered

An hour later, Matt was still awake, even though he'd been almost asleep when Jeff had barged in. He looked over at his brother, his body still shaking even though he must've cried himself out, and felt himself being consumed by his own anger.

"Morrison, " he thought "you better hope Tom gets to you first, 'coz there won't be much left of you if I do."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Uh-oh... Jeff really did it this time! But who'll get to Morrison first... Tom or Matt? Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1_


	6. Brotherly Love

All characters copyright WWE Inc. I apologize in advance to anyone from the UK for my butchering of the Queen's English. All slang expressions courtesy William Regal.

Brotherly Love

John Morrison was staring at his corn flakes when a shadow suddenly appeared. He looked up, and an "oh crap" formed on his lips.

"Mind if I sit down?" It was Tom. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look angry either. In face, his face was completely void of any expression.

"What happens if I say no?" Morrison asked

"Then you deal with Matt." Tom answered "I think you'd rather talk to me right now."

"Whatever, man." Morrison gestured toward the empty chair across from him. Tom sat, and signaled for a menu.

"Can you explain to me why I got a call from Matt early this morning saying that Jeff was bawling his eyes out over you?" Tom perused the breakfast offerings.

Morrison stared at his cereal.

"Listen, I'm not trying to bust your balls over this." Tom softened his tone, hoping it would make John feel less threatened. "I'm just concerned. You know how fragile Jeff is when it comes to his emotions."

"Yeah." Morrison agreed

"So what happened?" Tom asked, setting the menu aside. "You two looked like you were hitting it off real well when I left."

"Tom, if I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone else?" Morrison finally looked up to stare Tom squarely.

"It's nobody else's business, John. I'm just concerned, okay." Tom answered "I'll have the hungryman special, over easy, brown toast, with a side of bacon and coffee, please."

Morrison looked around nervously, as if he expected Matt to suddenly jump out at him.

When he was satisfied that Matt wasn't, he started talking.

"It all goes back to when I was in MNM..."

"So, then the girl says 'That's huge!' and I said, 'honey, I'm not even hard yet!" Adam (Joey Mercury) finished a very long, very off-color story.

Morrison laughed, even though he didn't believe a word of it. He knew from changing that Mercury tended to exaggerate his prowess, his size, and almost anything else to do with his sex life.

"You're full of it, Mercury!" John wiped tears from his eyes.

"Fuck you, Nitro. You're just jealous." Mercury retorted

"Jealous? Of what?" John replied "Dude, I've got the goods." He patted his package seductively.

"Whip it out, then." Mercury dared him. "I got fifty that says I'm bigger than you."

Whether it was the booze talking, or something else, Nitro stood up and dropped his pants and underwear.

"No fair, Nitro. You're already hard." Mercury laughed

"Am not." John answered, smacking himself to prove Mercury wrong. "Your turn."

"I never thought you'd do it." Mercury stood and pulled his own dick out.

"Now who's talking about being hard already." Nitro taunted. He hoped Mercury was because he was bigger and thicker. "Just admit that I'm bigger than you."

"Get a ruler." Joey wasn't willing to let this go without a fight.

"Oh, for God's sake, Mercury." Nitro looked for something useful. "It's a hotel room. There ain't no ruler. Give it up."

"Then get over here. I have an idea." Mercury said, an evil look in his eye. Nitro waddled over, who had also stood up.

"We're both about the same height, right? Put your dick against mine and we'll see once and for all." Mercury held Nitro in place and adjusted himself so that the base of their dicks were touching.

"Stop squirming..." Mercury complained.

"I'm not!" Nitro exclaimed, then just for spite, thrust against his tag-team partner. This started Mercury squirming and before either of them knew it, they were both really hard, and humping each other viciously. Both of them knew it was wrong on so many levels, yet neither of them wanted the feeling to stop.

"Joey, I'm close..." Nitro panted

"Me too..." Mercury replied, thrusting into Nitro.

"Fuck..." They came at the same time, coating each other's chest.

John looked into Joey's eyes, not expecting to see what he saw. Mercury looked confused.

"Fuck." Joey repeated.

"Joey, what's wrong?" Nitro asked

"This is wrong." He pointed to the semen on his stomach.

"Joey, you know how I feel about you." Nitro wasn't expecting this reaction from his tag team partner.

"John, I'm not into guys. You know that." Mercury wiped his stomach off, looking disgustedly at John. He flicked the residue onto the carpet and covered up. "I'm gonna find another room."

"Joey, you don't have to do this!" Nitro begged.

Mercury didn't say another word. He grabbed his luggage and moved in with HBK for the rest of the tour..

"... and that was the last time we spoke. The next day I found out that he'd failed a drug test and was out." Morrison concluded.

"So you had one bad experience, big whoop." Tom replied "Haven't we all?"

"I drove my best friend away by moving too fast. I didn't want it to happen again." Morrison replied

"Moving too fast?" Tom repeated "From what I heard, Jeff started everything."

Out of the side of his eye, Tom saw Matt enter the restaurant. "Morrison!" he hissed

"I thought you said Matt wasn't..." John paled

"Let me deal with him." Tom turned to face Matt. From his expression, Matt obviously didn't expect Tom to have lived up to his end of the deal so soon.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded

"What I said I was going to do." Tom answered "I'll ask you the same question."

"I..."

"Matt, I know you're used to being the big brother, but this time you have to step back." Tom said, standing. "I said I would handle this and I will... where's Jeffro anyway?"

"Over there." Matt pointed

"Did he even sleep?" Tom asked. Jeff was wearing the same clothes he'd worn to the club the night before.

"I think so." Matt replied

"Hm. Thanks for breakfast Morrison. You want my advice: talk to him. He thinks he's the one who fucked up."

Tom started to walk out. Matt stayed glued to his spot, eyeing Morrison intently.

"Matt, come on." Tom shouted

"The fire in Matt's eyes was burning through everyone in his path.

"Matt, come on." Tom repeated, more intensely, grabbing Matt's arm and literally pulling him out of the cafe.

"Jeff, are you coming?" Matt asked. Jeff was staring right at Morrison who was going about the business of eating the remnants of his breakfast.

"Uh, yeah, guys, I'm right with." He replied

"So, I talked to him." Tom later stated while the Hardys were sitting around the airport concourse waiting for their flight.

"And?" Matt asked "What did that son of a bitch have to say for himself?"

"Matt, it really is none of your business." Tom replied "Unless Jeff doesn't mind."

"Doesn't bother me." Hopefully Jeff referred to Matt knowing, not the situation, because the last thing Tom wanted to do was call his brother a liar.

"Basically, Morrison screwed up one relationship by getting involved physically and he didn't want to do it again." Tom answered

"So that's what the story between him and Mercury was." Matt blurted out.

"What story?" Jeff asked "C'mon Matty, tell me!"

"Matt..." Tom warned him, but it was too late. Matt basically told Jeff what Morrison had told Tom in the cafe, glossing over some of the more graphic details.

"That's why he doesn't love me!" Jeff scrunched up his face. "He still loves Joey!"

Tom gritted his teeth. Of all the times to speak out of school, Matt had to pick the worst possible one.

"Jeffro, I don't think that's the case. Last time I checked, Mercury still was into girls." Matt tried to cover his ass, but it didn't help.

As if that wasn't enough, Jeff's cell phone decided now would be a good time to ring.

After the fourth ring, Tom figured out that Jeff wasn't gonna answer it and grabbed it from on top of his travel bag beside him.

"Hello?" He said "Hey, Morrison... what's shakin' man? Jeff, let me see if he's around."

Tom looked at him. Jeff shook his head.

"I think he's in the bathroom." Tom replied "Either that or looking for Skittles. I'll give him the message, dude, it's not a problem. Our flight is supposed to leave in half-an-hour, so if he doesn't get back to you before we go, I'm sure he'll call you when we land?"

Jeff shook his head again. Tom glared back.

"No, I haven't told him. It's not my place, bro. You and Jeff gotta work this thing out." Tom was talking like Jeff was nowhere to be found. "They just called our flight, so I gotta book. I'll give Jeff the message and... okay, I'll tell him that too. Thanks for calling, John, and I hope this works out for ya."

The flight hadn't been called, but Tom just wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible. He was getting more and more uncomfortable the longer it went on.

"That's the last time I lie for you." Tom stated "He said he'll see you in London. I don't think he believed me when I said our flight was being called, but whatever."

"I don't wanna talk to him. Why'd you say that?" Jeff whined

"Jeff, I am not your secretary, nor will I fight your battles for you. You have to do this on your own. Morrison thinks it's his fault, you think it's your fault..."

"Tom's right. This is tearing you apart, any idiot can see that." Matt interrupted "Until the two of you sit down, you are both gonna be miserable and to see you like this hurts me almost as much as you." He looked down, obviously in as much emotional pain as Jeff. His stomach tightened suddenly and he drew in a loud breath.

"Oh, Matty, don't cry." In a second, Jeff was at his brother's side, holding him.

"You see, you're not the only one hurting." Tom stood "And honestly, I can't stand seeing you in this much pain, either. If you'll excuse me..."

Praying that Morrison wasn't in the airport; it would be very hard to explain what he was doing at the snack bar when his flight was supposedly boarding, Tom sought out something to eat. He wasn't hungry, he just needed to distance himself from the drama. He wasn't the only one. Right in front of him was Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, of all people.

"God, this line is slow." Tom heard Mike complain.

"I hear ya Miz."

Mike turned. "Hey, Tom, what's up?"

"Just tryin' to get away from all the family drama." Tom answered

"So I've heard." Miz answered

"Oh?" Tom asked

"Who do you think Morrison came crying to last night?" Miz answered "To tell you the truth, it was kinda embarrassing."

"Can I ask you what he said?"

"Uh..." Miz stuttered

"Did he say anything about Joey Mercury?" Tom clarified

Miz looked away.

"You don't have to answer. I was just wond'rin if he was blowin' smoke up my ass." Tom answered

"Yeah, he did." Miz finally said

"He never tried any of that with you, did he?" Tom asked

"Fuck no. If he had, I would've kicked his ass." Miz answered

"Sorry, man. I'm just trying to understand what the hell is goin' on. God, I never realized having Jeff Hardy as a brother could be so draining." Tom answered

"You want some advice?" Miz asked

"Sure. I've been giving so much lately, I could really use some back."

"Step back. Let Jeff and Morrison work this out on their own." Miz replied

"Sounds exactly like what I told Matt to do. Maybe I should take my own advice for a change?"

"Maybe. Isn't that your flight?" Thankfully, one of them had been paying attention to the PA announcements.

Tom listened as the announcement was repeated. "Yeah, it is. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll see you in London on Monday." Miz shouted as Tom ran back toward the departure lounge.

Tom waved without looking back. Sprinting through the airport, he returned to where he'd left his brothers.

"What kept you?" Matt asked

"Ran into someone. We started talkin'. I'm glad he was payin' attention or I mighta missed my flight." Tom grabbed his luggage.

The three Hardys had gotten seats beside each other. Once Jeff realized he didn't have the window seat, he begged and begged and begged Matt to trade spots with him. Finally, Matt agreed. Tom just rolled his eyes, stowed his carry-on luggage, and plopped himself down in his seat, praying for yet another uneventful flight.

In London, (England, not Ontario), everyone settled down into his or her own routine... getting their rental cars, hotel rooms, and so forth.

At Matt's request, Tom roomed with Jeff for this leg of the trip. I guess middle brother (It seems weird calling Matt the middle brother now... there's an idea for a show, though... "Matthew in the middle?") needed a break from all the drama as well.

"Jeff, what do I tell Morrison when I see him tomorrow?" Tom asked, ceremoniously diving onto one of the beds.

"Huh?" Jeff Swantoned onto the other.

"I'm wrestling Morrison at the live show. Are you gonna talk to him before that, or do I have to lie for you again?" Tom asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Why don't you just leave me alone about it?" Jeff shouted

"Fine. Consider me out of it." Tom answered, recalling the Miz's earlier suggestion. "Then don't come crying to me if something goes wrong, 'coz I don't wanna hear it." Tom covered his head with a pillow to conceal his frustration.

"Fine." Jeff retorted

"Fine." Tom repeated, flinging his pillow aside. "I'm going for a walk. I will see you at the meet-and-greet-later."

While Tom walked the streets of London, in the fog, he came to two conclusions... one, he was going to let things work themselves out and two, he was never going to walk in the London fog again. This second revelation was realized two seconds after a number nine bus almost hit him crossing Piccadilly Circus.

"Watch it, ya wanker!" The driver shouted after him.

Tom gave him the British worker's salute (two fingers) and decided that maybe a drink or two was what he needed. He found a nearby pub and settled in for a couple pints.

"Evenin' guv'nah." The bar was almost empty. Surprising, given the hour of the day and the fact that there was a game on the telly. But no sooner had he sat down at the bar, then one of the regulars recognized him.

"'Ere, you're one of them Hardy blokes, ain'tcha?"

Tom looked over. "If I am?"

"I thought so!" He exclaimed, then leaned closer. "Can I ask you a question, guv? Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?" Tom asked

"That your brother Jeff is a bloomin' dinnermasher!"

"A what?" Tom asked

"Y'know, he likes blokes."

"Where did you hear this?" Tom asked, trying very hard not to lose his cool.

"C'mon, guv, 'ave you seen 'im lately. He dresses like a bleedin' fairy!"

Tom's blood started to boil. Not at the comment, because before he knew he was blood related, he thought the same damn thing about Jeff. No, it was when this Briton started to laugh that Tom got really incensed.

"Piss off!" Tom shouted

"Wot did you say?"

"If you have nothing better to do than bother someone who's just trying to have a quiet drink, than I say piss off!"

"Did you 'ere that... the little Yank just told me to piss off!" He guffawed louder. "And who's gonna make me? You?" He shoved Tom off his stool.

"Tom ,just leave." His conscience ordered him. "There's a lot more of them than there is of you."

This time, Tom listened. Or he would have if he'd been able to. The moment he turned toward the door, he felt something hard strike him across the back of the head. Splinters of wood flew by his peripheral vision. He'd been hit with one of the wooden bar stools.

"Knock that off." The barman seemed to be the only person willing to help Tom. In seconds, he was surrounded by five or six of the local bruisers who took great delight in pummeling Tom into unconsciousness.

"Just isn't my day..." Tom thought before the blackness claimed him.

...

Some of the wrestlers were watching the Man U- Arsenal game when the local news flashed the following across the bottom of the screen: "WWE WRESTLER ATTACKED IN LOCAL PUB..."

Only a couple of the guys noticed this, and even then it didn't register right away. It was only when more details became available did someone think to call up to his room. Jeff answered

"Uh, Jeff, are you watching the match?" Kennedy was the unlucky nominee to contact Jeff.

"Nah, I was sleepin'." Jeff replied, yawning noisily into the phone.

"You might want to turn on the news." Kennedy responded

"What is it?" Jeff asked, immediately awake and alarmed.

"It's Tom... there's been an accident." Kennedy stated

"Don't fuckin' kid me like that, Kennedy. I ain't laughin'." Jeff slammed the phone down.

"How'd he take it?" Hunter asked

"He thought I was joking." Kennedy said "Can you believe it... the little fucker thought I was joking."

"Here, Kennedy, let me show you how it's done. I knew we shouldn't let a prankster like you handle this." Hunter called Matt's room because Matt knew him well enough to know that he would never joke about something like this, and even if he did, it wouldn't be now of all times.

"Hey, Matt: Hunter. Are you sitting down? If you're not, you probably should be..."

Matt ran down the hall to the room Jeff and Tom had been sharing. He pounded on the door loud enough to alert the people staying in the nearby rooms. The opened their doors wide enough to see an angry man pounding on the door, then realized it was best not to get involved. All of them retreated to their tea and crumpets.

"Jeffro? Are you in there?"

"Matty... go away. I'm trying to sleep!" Jeff grumbled through the door.

"Jeff, open the door! This is serious! We have to go! Now!"

Jeff opened the door as far as the security chain would allow. His bloodshot eyes stared out at Matt.

"Didn't someone call you?" Matt said, panic rising.

"Don't tell me Kennedy tried that crap on you too, man. I swear I will get him one of these days." Jeff replied

"Kennedy? Nah, man, I just talked to Hunter..."

At the mention of Triple H, Jeff went white.

"You mean..."

"Jeff, come on. We gotta go." Matt responded, eerily calm.

Seconds later, Matt was running toward the elevator, Jeff not far behind. They waited impatiently for one to arrive.

They were out of the hotel, into Matt's rental and at the hospital within ten minutes.

"We're looking for a patient who was just brought in... Tom Hardy?" Matt panted at reception.

"Are you family?" She asked

"We're his brothers." Jeff stated

"Room one oh seven down the hall." She pointed

Matt and Jeff ran.

"No running!" She yelled after them. They ignored her.

"103, 105, 107." Matt counted off the doors. "Here we are."

Jeff impetuously pushed the door open ahead of Matt.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!" He screamed

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_To all my fans, thanks for the support, especially Slashdlite... Bunny made her cameo just for you, Pheonix-Syren, do you still think Morrison deserves to get it? and dehlia666, glad you like my creativity!_

_Coming soon to a fanfic near you... some difficult questions will be answered, a title will change hands, and two guys will do it (though not necessarily in that order!)_

_And to those of you who were annoyed that I killed the Legend, well "The Legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of a big lake they call Gitchie-Gumie..."_


	7. Lost Brotherhood

Lost Brotherhood

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Jeff screamed again at what he saw.

"I can't look that bad." Tom said "Can I?"

"That's a big owie." Jeff said., watching the doctor pull splinters of wood out of a gaping wound in the back of Tom's head.

"So they tell me." Tom grimaced when the doctor pulled an exceptionally long sliver and dropped it into a silver tray beside him. "I think that one was connected to my teeth."

"Sorry, Mister Hardy. We did inform you that there would be some discomfort during the procedure." The doctor smiled. The English doctors were known to have a strange perception of what "some discomfort" meant. To Tom, "some discomfort" mean stubbing your toe, not this.

"Explain to me again why you couldn't numb the whole area?" Tom complained, gripping both sides of the bed when the doctor went back to work.

"We are always wary of reducing sensation in a sensitive area like this. We could inadvertently cause damage to your cranial nerves and not know it..."

"So, if I start convulsing, you know you've screwed up." Tom tensed up. His head felt like it was on fire. "Fuck!" He shouted as a bolt of pain passed right through his system and down. It felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

"Doc, you're hurting him!" Jeff said, a tear forming in his eye.

"Nurse, I think we can add a little more freezing right now. I've gotten most of the big ones out." Even the doctor seemed to sympathize.

"Yes, doctor." The nurse brought over a long needle.

"This will hurt a little."

Tom screamed again when the needle penetrated the skin just below the wound. He clenched his fists tightly around the metal frame of the blanket. He looked up at Jeff, his eyes telling him to put him out of this.

Jeff crossed over and took Tom's hand in his own, gently rubbing it.

"Jeff..."

"Shhh, bro. Talk later." Jeff continued to massage the hand, hoping it would take Tom's mind off the repeated stabbings of the freezing agent.

"There. Last one." The doctor retracted the needle. "Give it a minute to work and then we'll stitch you up."

His eyes watering, Tom looked up at Jeff. "Thank-you." He whispered, dropping his head back on the bed.

While the doctor sewed, they talked.

"So what the hell happened, Tommy?" Matt asked

"As if getting hit by a double-decker bus wasn't bad enough, some dumb ass decided to pick a fight with me." Tom answered

"You? Why?" Jeff answered

"I was defending you." Tom answered, repeating the conversation at the bar. "The next time, you can defend yourself."

"Me?" Jeff asked

"Yeah. Some idiot kept asking me if you were gay... I assume that's what a dinner-masher is. If not, then I'm really stupid." Tom replied

"There we are Mister Hardy... all done. Now I don't have to tell you that until the stitches come out, I am forbidding you from wrestling." The doctor smiled

To Tom that was the worst thing the doctor could've said. Tom would've preferred being told that he had to have his penis amputated.

"Dammit, Doc, I got four matches this week alone." Tom replied "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Other than stop getting into scuffles at public houses, I would suggest that maybe you should find someone to take your place." The doctor replied slyly.

"Oh man, Vince is gonna flip." Jeff said

"Hey, doc, is there a chance I can get some sort of note?" Tom asked

"A note?"

"Yeah. You don't know Vince McMahon. He's the kind of boss who won't give you time off for your own funeral without proof." Matt added

"I sure I can provide some documentation. Mister Hardy, the nurse will be along shortly to clean you up and then you can be on your way." The doctor quickly checked his sewing. "They should be ready to come out any time from ten to fourteen days from now. "

"I guess I should get my hair cut as well." Tom said, staring at the back of his head in the mirror. They had shaved a swath right out of the middle of his formerly shoulder-length hair.

"I can have the nurse take care of that for you as well. Just wait here."

Tom paced the room waiting for his hair appointment.

"Don't worry about it." Matt said, throwing his arms around Tom. "We'll take care of everything for ya."

"Yeah. I'll wrestle for ya tomorrow night if ya want." Jeff volunteered.

"Uh Jeff, I don't think that's such a good idea." Matt knew who Tom's scheduled opponent was.

"Oh come on, Matty. Tommy's hurt. It's what we brothers do." Jeff answered

"Jeff, chill the fuck out." Tom said "I agree with Matt."

"Why?" Jeff demanded

"I'm fighting Morrison." Tom replied "Or at least I was fighting him before this shit happened." He gingerly patted the wound on his head.

"Oh." Suddenly, Jeff didn't seem to be that keen.

"I'd do it, but I already got a match." Matt said "I"m defending against the Big Show."

"Don't worry. I'll talk to Vince and see what he can suggest. Maybe we can just cancel the match. It's not like it's important or anything."

"Yeah... Vince McMahon cancel a match. That's like saying Jeff doesn't care about his appearance... it just doesn't happen." Matt suppressed laughter.

"Tom, I said I'd do it." Jeff shouted

"Are you sure about this Jeffro?" Tom grabbed Jeff's shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. "I am not gonna make you do something like this. I'd rather fight and risk serious injury than force you into a situation like this."

"Tommy, I'm okay." Jeff's determined look convinced him.

"Did someone call for a haircut?" The nurse returned, accompanied by the hospital barber.

"Yeah, him." Jeff quickly pointed at Tommy lest there be a mistake and he end up looking like Stone Cold.

"Have a seat and we'll see what we can do."

...

"Good evening, London!" The Fink bellowed

The crowd cheered raucously.

"Due to an injury, Tom Hardy will not be appearing in our opening contest." He announced "But this contest is scheduled for one fall... introducing first, from Los Angeles, California, weighing two hundred nineteen pounds, John Morrison."

"Hey Hardy!" John grabbed the microphone and started to berate his injured opponent. "They say you're hurt, but I think you just didn't wanna fight me."

The Hardy theme interrupted him. Tom stepped out onto the stage. The crowd gasped at his new look. Completely gone was the long hair. It was completely shaved on the sides and back and whatever was on top was concealed underneath a baseball cap. It looked like he'd had his entire head shaved. The stitches were concealed beneath the headgear.

"Hi Johnny." He said, looking calm and serene. "Did you miss me?"

"Get down here and let me beat your ass, rookie." Morrison shouted

Tom turned his head, almost as if he'd misheard Morrison. "Chill out, dude. I know I'm good looking, but I ain't playing for your team, so whatever you wanna do to my ass is gonna hafta wait."

Morrison stomped around the ring.

"I'm not medically cleared, but if you want a fight, I can give you one." Tom walked threateningly toward the ring. He was almost halfway there when the entrance theme of one Jeff Hardy began playing.

The fans erupted yelling. Tom looked a little confused, while Morrison looked really confused.

Jeff did his little dance routine (Has he ever considered going on the next Dancing With the Stars?) and headed right for Tom. Without a mic, it was impossible for the crowd to hear exactly what was being said, but apparently Jeff was "offering" to take his place against Morrison.

Tom and Jeff started to argue, but it soon ended once some of the other personnel "convinced" Tom that he wasn't going to wrestle that night.

"Fine." His body language clearly conveyed that message. He allowed the agents to escort him to the back while Jeff entered the ring to fight.

"That was the easiest thousand bucks I ever made." Tom said, plopping his butt into a chair to watch the match on a monitor.

"I told ya we'd come up with something." Matt dropped down beside him, title belt securely across his shoulder.

"Yeah. Jeff seemed okay to you?" Tom asked

"Yeah, fine, did I miss somethin'?" Matt returned the question with one of his own.

"I guess I'm still a little worried about Jeff takin' this match." Tom replied, his glare never wavering from the screen.

"One thing about Jeff: he wears his heart on his sleeve, but once he's in the ring it's all business." Matt responded "I gotta go check in with Show."

"I'm just gonna watch the show from here." Tom stretched his lanky frame out.

"Cool. Comin' out later?" he asked

"Nah, I'm just gonna go back to the hotel. I have a really bad headache." Tom answered

"Okay."

As he watched the match, Tom saw what Matt meant. Considering not thirty-six hours ago Jeff was having a nervous breakdown over him, he sure seemed to have turned off any feelings that he might or might not have had. He was indeed all business tonight, and two consecutive swantons was all he needed to dispose of Morrison.

Jeff seemed to be alright when he came backstage.

"Nice job, Jeffro." Tom said

"Thanks, dude."

"Hopefully I can figure out a way to get around my match with the Miz on Raw tomorrow." Tom briskly rubbed his eyes.

"Dude, don't stress. Vince said you can have the time off." Jeff said

"You don't get it. I don't care what Vince, the doctors, or what anyone else says... my ego won't let me disappoint anyone. Just letting you take this match tonight makes me feel like shit." Tom's hand went to his temple.

"Head still hurt?" Jeff asked

"Yeah." Tom answered

"Hey Hardy, great match." Morrison returned.

"Cool." Now that the match was over, Jeff obviously didn't want to have anything to do with John.

"Uh, can we talk?" Morrison asked

Tom took this as his cue to leave. "I gotta go take some Aspirin. My head is just pounding."

Jeff and John stared at each other.

"So, whaddaya wanna talk to me about?" Jeff asked

"Look, Jeff, what happened the other night wasn't your fault." Morrison answered

"Yes it was. I went way too far way too fast." Jeff replied

"Jeff, listen. I like you, I do. I think there might be a chance for something to happen between us and frankly I'm a little scared..."

"Scared? Of what?" Jeff asked

"I don't know how to handle these feelings." Morrison replied "I'm not used to this."

Jeff was stunned. "But I thought..."

"Jeff, I want to try again, if you'll let me." Morrison swallowed noisily. "Please?"

"Let me think about it yes." Jeff replied

"Thank-you." Morrison embraced him warmly. Over his shoulder Jeff saw Tom leaning silently against a wall. He gave Jeff a thumbs-up, smiled, and disappeared from view.

"You seen Jeffro?" Matt stopped him as he was heading to the locker room.

"Yeah. He and Morrison are making up." Tom replied

Matt seemed to take this news rather strangely. That look he had in the cafe the other day returned and he glared right through Tom.

"I hope you know what you are doing, bro." He said in a fierce low tone. "'Coz if he ends up hurting Jeffro any more Imma gonna hold you personally responsible."

"Matt, I'm taking my own advice and backing off. I expect you to as well. If Jeff needs us, we'll be here for him. If not, he's old enough to make his own decisions. If he wants Morrison in his life, I say let him be happy." Tom answered in his own low growl. "You have a title match later... I'd suggest you focus on that."

Tom walked away, feeling Matt's gaze burn a hole in the back of his head. Either that or his stitches were giving way. He watched the rest of the show from a secluded area in the canteen, not wanting to socialize with anyone for the time being.

"Is it me?" he thought silently. "First Jeff, now Matt. Maybe they don't want me in their lives after all." The animosity with Jeff regarding the title match hadn't been discussed at all, and now Matt was getting all over him.

Despite the friction, he couldn't help but cheer when Matt soundly defeated the Big Show to retain the title. It didn't hurt that Jeff stuck his face into the match when the referee wasn't looking.

"At least two-thirds of the Hardys are happy." Tom mumbled, watching the on-camera celebration.

"Hey, rookie. What's shakin'?" Cody pulled up a chair.

Tom answered "My fledgling career is in the crapper, my new brothers both seem to have a problem with me, and I have a hole in the back of my head you could drive a truck through. Other than that, not a whole fucking lot."

"Sounds like my first few weeks." Cody answered "Don't worry, things have to get better."

"I guess they can't get much worse." Tom answered

"Cody, can I talk to Tom for a second?" Matt interrupted. It looked like he'd come right from the ring.

Cody grunted and left. Matt took the chair had vacated.

"I've been thinkin'."

"Oh boy, here we go again." Tom thought "Now what is he gonna bust my ass over?"

"You're right. I really have to stop treating Jeff like he's a little kid." Matt wiped sweat from his brow. He really had come straight from his match. "If he needs us, we'll be there but I gotta let be his own man now. Fuck, he's almost 32."

"Does this mean I have to stop sleeping with Bunny?"

"Jeffro? How long you been there?" Matt turned

"Long enuff." Jeff stated "And you do have to stop treating me like a kid." This, coming from the Superstar who shed more tears per day than anyone else, seemed a little ironic.

"I promise, Jeff. From now on, I am gonna stop runnin' your life." Matt solemnly swore on an imaginary stack of something.

"Tommy..." Jeff asked. It seemed that Jeff was expecting a similar reply.

"What... I have nothing to apologize for." He responded, a little harder than he'd intended, but a little late to change his tone. "I've been in your life for less than a month... how the hell have I been running it?"

Jeff stuck out his bottom lip.

"Don't do that. You know I have a weakness for puppy dog faces." Tom covered his face. "Alright, I'm sorry I took a bar stool for you."

"That's not what I was gonna ask." Jeff pouted. "I was gonna say John and I are gonna give it another try and I have you to thank for it."

Before Tom could even muster a reply, Jeff embraced him. That was awkward. When Jeff kissed him on the cheek, that was more awkward. And when Jeff whispered "I need the room tonight." before skipping away that was just downright creepy.

Matt took off to grab his shower, leaving Tom alone.

"Well, I guess there is only one thing left to do..." He said "Anybody wanna go out for a couple?... I'm buyin'."

...

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Morrison asked

"I told him I need the room." Jeff answered

After their date, Morrison wanted to get some rest, but Jeff was still rarin' to go.

"We do have work in the morning." He should've known better than to use that excuse with the biggest party animal in the company.

"So? C'mon Johnny, live a little." Jeff skipped around the room, hastily tidying up his mess.

"Jeff, I don't know what you have planned, but..."

"I have nothing planned. I just wanna relax with you for a while. We can raid the mini-bar..."

"Say no more... let's drink."

The two got down to business and in no time were pleasantly buzzing. Unfortunately, it was almost four in the morning.

"Jeff, I really gotta go." Morrison finished whatever he'd grabbed recently and got off the couch.

"Awwwww... do ya hafta?" Jeff whined

"I'm not like you, dude. I need my sleep." Morrison answered

"There's an extra bed here." Jeff grinned

"I'm sure Matt would have a problem when he comes home."

"I'm not roomin' with Matt this trip." Jeff answered proudly.

"They actually let you stay on your own?" John inquired, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I wish. Tommy's with me." Jeff replied wistfully. "But he's gone for the night."

"Jeff, I'd like to. Maybe some other time." Morrison grabbed his jacket.

"Okay." Jeff sulked "How 'bout a goodnight kiss?"

Morrison tentatively pecked Jeff on the cheek.

"That was pathetic!" Jeff replied, his hands on his hips. "Let me show you."

Jeff took hold of Morrison's face and gently placed his lips to him. Morrison moaned softly. The kiss was a lot more enjoyable than he'd expected. But to paraphrase The Tragically Hip, he was "twenty-nine years old... never kissed a guy."

"Whoa." John said

"You like?" Jeff asked

John licked his lips. "Fuck yeah. Let me try that again." John returned the kiss with the same, if not more passion and intensity that Jeff had shown. The two of them soon collapsed onto Jeff's bed, mouths locked together, their tongues dancing in each other's mouth.

Jeff soon felt something else pressing against him.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, finally breaking the kiss. "Remember what happened last time?"

"I'm sure." John answered "But I wanna make you feel good too." He squeezed Jeff gently, enjoying the reaction he got.

"MMM..." Jeff rejoined lips with Morrison, his hands roaming the younger man's body, caressing, kneading, and rubbing every muscle he could reach.

"Wow!" Morrison said "Where'd you learn to kiss like that?"

"I dunno. There are a lotta other things I can do with my mouth instead of kiss..." Jeff licked his own lips in anticipation.

"You did that once... it's my turn." Now John was the aggressor, pinning Jeff to the bed and tearing at his clothes like a madman.

Jeff tried to get at Morrison's clothing as well, but John held his hands above his head. "You're mine tonight." He returned to Jeff's body, removing the last few articles and staring at his naked beauty.

"Now that I'm yours, what are ya goin to do with me?" Jeff asked, his cock stirring to attention.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." John smiled and devoured Jeff's now erect member in one gulp.

"Damn!" Jeff gasped, feeling the head of his dick slide down Morrison's throat and then slowly back up.

John smiled. He'd been dreaming of doing this to someone, anyone, for years. He'd ruined a friendship, lost his girlfriend, but now it all seemed worth it to have the man he'd been lusting after since day one underneath him, quivering with need and knowing that he was responsible for it. He returned to sucking on Jeff, giving him the most intense suck job he'd had in a long time.

"Johnny, you better slow down."

"Hell no." Morrison removed Jeff's cock from his mouth. "I have no idea when I'll be able to do this again, so I'm gonna make you cream." He started sucking again.

"It ain't gonna take much... John... fuck...." Jeff's hips were pumping up to meet John's mouth. He could feel it... he was gonna come.

"Give it to me." John begged "Now!"

"Oh yeah... oh yeah... oh shit!" Jeff heard one sound and his heart stopped. It was the sound of the key card in the slot. Tom was back.

Before either of them could cover up; before Morrison could even take Jeff's dick out of his mouth, Tom was in the room. He saw them a moment later.

"Let me know when you're finished." He said, like seeing his brother getting head wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Tom walked into the bathroom and immediately ran the water for a bath. He looked in the mirror and shivered.

Morrison went to go back down on Jeff, but this time Jeff pushed him away. "John, I can't... not now." He sighed

Morrison was disappointed, but he understood. He'd been walked in on when he was with a girl once. It was irrelevant that the girl was Melina and it was Mercury who'd interrupted, but neither of them had been interested in continuing afterward.

"I understand, man." He said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"We'll see each other again, I'm sure." Jeff replied "It was fun..."

"While it lasted." Morrison said "Anyway, I'll see you at RAW tomorrow night."

"Sure... maybe we can get together after the show again." Jeff winked

"Maybe... g'night." Morrison pecked Jeff again before he left. Jeff quickly gathered his clothes and redressed.

Tom stood under the shower, hoping the water would wash away the memories of what he'd just seen. He'd given Jeff the room alright, staying out until the last bar closed, but apparently that wasn't enough. As the water cascaded over his shoulders and down his body, Tom willed his tense muscles to relax.

"You didn't just see that." He repeated to himself several times, but every time he closed his eyes, even for a second, the vision came back in vibrant Technicolor. It was only a matter of time before the visions overpowered his self-control and Tom gripped his hardened member in his hand, stroking himself furiously as he replayed what he saw over and over again. Less than a minute was all it took before he went over the edge, jetting several streams of come all over his chest. No sooner had he emptied his load, then his eyes snapped open.

"Fuck!" He yelled, looking at what he'd just done.

In the bedroom, Jeff was pacing, wondering what was gonna happen when Tom came out of the shower, when he heard the shout.

"Y'okay, bro?" He gently rapped on the door. He heard the sound of water running for a second or two before shutting off.

"I'm fine." Tom answered, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He knew he had to calm down before facing Jeff, or he might do something both of them would regret. The weird thing was not what he'd seen, but his body's reaction to it. It definitely isn't normal to jerk off thinking about your own brother, is it?

"And just when you thought you had everything under control..." Tom shook his head, leaving the shower, wondering if everything would ever return to normal.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Based on a true story... now I know why I'm glad I'm living alone again.


	8. Brothers Are Doin' It For Themselves

Brothers Are Doin' It For Themselves

"Will you at least talk to me, Tom?" Jeff begged "Please."

That was the most recent of the voice messages Jeff had left with his older brother. The next morning, Tom had spoke to Vince and he had reluctantly allowed him to go back to the States. Until his stitches came out, even the staff doctors refused to allow him clearance to wrestle, so there really was nothing for Tom to do in England.

The real reason behind his departure was simple. After seeing what he'd seen in his hotel room involving Jeff and John Morrison, and his own reaction to it, Tom really needed to put some distance between himself and his kid brother. He tried not to, but the more he thought about what had happened, the less he thought about Jeff as a person and more as just a sex object. This was only exacerbated every time he saw Jeff. It was that bad.

As he had with the other messages, Tom listened to it and erased it from the memory. He'd tried to pass it off as nothing in the hotel room and he thought Jeff had understood, but things went downhill fast. So, when Jeff left for the early production call, Tom had packed his luggage and checked out of the hotel. By the time Jeff returned, Tom was already on a flight back to LAX.

His phone rang again five minutes later. It was the other Hardy.

"Tom, what the hell is goin' on? Jeff is in hysterics, and now Vince tells me you went home." Matt sounded pissed off. "I'm leaving tonight and you better have an explanation by the time I arrive." That was the extent of his message.

"I wish I could, Matt." Tom threw his cell phone against the wall. Tom actually enjoyed hearing the sound of it.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and dropped onto the couch. If only he'd had the guts to tell Jeff the truth...

FLASHBACK

Jeff was pacing the room when Tom exited the bathroom.

"There's still some hot water left, I think." Tom prayed that Jeff would need a shower. Just looking at him made Tom feel really creeped out.

"I'm good." Damn Jeff and his hygiene!

Tom went about his business of getting ready for bed.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Jeff asked

"Yeah, bro, I'm fine. I'm just really tired right now." He rolled over, away from Jeff. "Could you turn off the light please?"

"Sure." The room was soon bathed in darkness. Tom heard the sounds of Jeff doing his own nighttime rituals, then a thump as he climbed into the bed.

"Tommy, are you sure?" Jeff asked

"No, I'm not!" Tom wanted to scream. "I just saw my brother getting his dick sucked and I got turned on by it... I'm a sick freak!"

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Tom asked. This was before he'd talked to Vince about getting out of dodge.

"Okay, man... 'night bro, I love you." Jeff rolled over and fell asleep quickly. Tom stared at the ceiling, hating himself to the core. Realizing that there was no one he could talk to about this, the only solution was to get away. Thank God Jeff overslept and had to rush to the arena.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Tom yelled aloud, still unable to fathom why he was reacting this way. The sane thing to do would be talk to Jeff, but every time Tom tried to justify the situation, he ended up making himself more angry. Facing Jeff, or even talking to him, when he was in this state would be a mistake. Best-case scenario, he ended up alienating Jeff and feeling even more like crap than he already does and Tom didn't even want to think about the worst-case.

"Goddamn transvestite hookers!" Tom shouted again. He prayed his neighbors were out. It was the only thing close to a rationalization for his frame of mind that he could fathom. The only other option was that he had feelings for Jeff himself, and he didn't realize it until that night. Tom decided that the former option was about as much as he could take. He rolled to a sitting position, hoping that Matt's threat of a visit was just that but, like death and taxes, a visit from Matt Hardy was a certainty. The certainty happened later that evening.

Tom answered the door when Matt knocked. Not because he really wanted to be ripped apart, but because the sooner Matt started in on him, the sooner Tom could get rid of him. Matt looked pissed off and didn't even say hello. He greeted his older brother with a hard right hook squarely on the law. Tom's head snapped back, and he retaliated with a punch of his own.

That set off a huge fight right in the middle of the front entrance, which quickly spilled into the living room. Both brothers were hitting each other as hard as possible, there was nothing staged about this fight. One really well placed punch and Tom fell back onto the couch. Matt jumped on top of him, grabbing him around the throat.

"You asshole!" He spat, digging his fingers into the soft flesh just below Tom's jaw.

"Same to you!" Tom suddenly rolled to his right, bucking Matt onto the floor. He was now on top. He reared back to let Matt have it. Had this punch connected, it surely would've broken his nose, if not done serious damage, but he was suddenly stopped by a small voice.

"Matty, Tommy, stop it!"

Both Matt and Tom looked over. Jeff was standing in the hallway, pale and shaking.

Matt flipped Tom off and stood. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked

"Yeah, Jeffro. Let Matt and I finish this ourselves. Just us guys." Tom stated

"No, I don't want you to hurt each other any more." Jeff answered, sounding like a six year old who'd walked in on a fight between his parents.

Tom stood, wiping a thin line of blood that had trickled from his left nostril. "Matt, this doesn't concern you... this doesn't concern either of you."

He was lying and they all knew it. Matt finally vocalized this with the universal reply of "Bullshit. If you have a problem, running away from it doesn't solve a fuckin' thing. And it really pisses me off."

"Matt, you don't get it. Neither of you get it!" Tom shouted

"Tommy, you've only been in our lives a short time but we both care about you." Matt was still shooting daggers at Tom. "At least I do. I think Matt wants your head over his fireplace."

"Fuckin' A." Matt growled, unconsciously clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Matt, take a hike." Tom retorted "Take Jeff with you."

"We're not goin' anywhere."

"Fine, stand in the middle of my fuckin' living room for all I care." Tom pushed past both of them and ran up the stairs to his bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Tom stared at himself in the mirror, alternately gauging the damage done by Matt's fists and cursing himself out for even allowing the situation to occur.

"I can wait all day." He thought. Several minutes later, he heard his front door slam and the sound of a motor. "Good." Just to be safe, he waited another five minutes before opening the door. No one was there, so he took the stairs, relieved. At least until he saw that he was only half-right. Matt had left, but Jeff was sitting on the couch, paging through a book he'd found on the coffee table.

"I got rid of Matt." He said

"I can see that... why didn't you go with him?" Tom retorted

"Because I figured that maybe you'd feel better if you just told me what's goin' on." Jeff set the book down and looked at Tom, his turquoise eyes shining. "This has something to do with that night in the hotel, doesn't it?"

Tom said nothing. Jeff took this as a yes.

"Look, I don't see what the problem is... so what, you saw me having sex with a guy... big whoop. Do you know how many times I've caught Matt doing it?" Jeff responded

"For one thing, it was a guy. And two, you probably didn't run into the bathroom and jerk off thinking about it two minutes later..." When Tom realized what had just come spilling out his mouth, he snapped it shut hard enough to make his teeth hurt.

Jeff retained his poker-face. "Tommy, this has something to do with that club, doesn't it?"

"Maybe." Tom answered "Then again, maybe not. Maybe I just hate you for making me witness your act of wanton carnality!"

"You wouldn't be the first person." Jeff replied, not entirely sure what an "act of wanton carnality" was. "Tom, if you want me to go, I will. But it looks like you've got a lot on your shoulders right now. I want to help you. Fuck, even Matt wants to help you..."

"He sure has a strange way of showing it."

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Jeff answered, stopping to think about it for a second. Matt's idea of helping someone usually did involve his fists.

"You and Matty are the two most important people in my life." Jeff said softly. "I don't like to see you two fight over me."

"You think I enjoy what this it turning me into? You don't understand at all how much I hate this..."

"Make me understand, Tommy." Jeff patted the sofa seat beside him. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease."

Tom sighed. Talking to someone did seem like a good way to get this weight he'd been carrying around off. But Jeff of all people. The person who had indirectly caused the pain.

"Okay, but not a word to anyone."

"Even Matty?"

"Even Matt." Tom repeated. He started talking, telling Jeff everything. From the blow job from the she-male to what he did to him/her afterward and how for years he couldn't even look at anything remotely homosexual without being taken back to what he called 'the biggest mistake of his life'. Jeff listened intently, saying nothing.

"...and I don't know why my body responded like that. It made me sick to my stomach to think of you like that." Tom took a deep breath.

Jeff remained quiet. He understood it to a degree, yet the reasons behind Tom's arousal still mystified him.

"Well, how sick do YOU think I am?" Tom asked

"It ain't for me to judge ya, bro." Jeff answered, choosing his next words very carefully. "I'm not God."

"Can I get an alleluia?" Tom joked, a smile on his face for the first time in over a day.

"But I do think you need to talk a hard look at yourself." Jeff said "You know how I live my life. Maybe if you were honest with yourself it might be easier for you to accept it."

"Are you saying I've been living a lie all these years?" Tom retorted

"No, I'm saying you need to stop fearing what you're feeling inside. You know who you are and what you need to do is let it slide." Jeff smiled at Tom. "I kinda think it's cute that you got off thinkin' about me."

"You would, Nero... you would." Tom snickered "It's just that I've never been that good with dealing with feelings. Maybe it's time I learned how." He leaned back, closed his eyes, and sighed audibly. It felt like someone had taken twenty pounds from his shoulder, even though he still had another eighty or so to go. It was a start.

"Should we be expecting your brother back anytime soon?" Tom asked

"He's your brother too, and probably not." Jeff replied

"Good." Tom barked "I don't think I could deal with him again right now."

"It's all good." Jeff wrapped his arms around Tom. To his surprise, Tom didn't protest, or even try to get away. He just nestled there, feeling like there was someone who really did love him unconditionally. Ironically, it was the one person he'd been trying to drive away.

"Just promise me one thing Jeffro. The next time you and Morrison are gonna do something like that, make sure you have your own room."

"Damn. We were gonna invite you to join us next time... I'm only kiddin' man." Jeff quickly added the last bit when Tom's expression altered.

"That was uncalled for. I may be finally coming to terms with who I am, but I'd still prefer it if you kept your sex life to yourself." Tom replied

"Sorry, bro." Jeff patted the back of Tom's head, being careful not to touch the scar. "It's gonna be a learning curve for both of us."

"Ow! Maybe we should've gone to a clinic or something." Tom grimaced

"Hold still, ya wuss." Jeff stood behind him, a pair of nail clippers in his hand. "If you wouldn't move so damn much, I could do this a lot faster."

It had been two weeks since the incident in England and Tom's stitches were ready to be removed. Tom had wanted to get it done right, but since Vince wanted him back on the roster ASAP, any delays were unacceptable. Tom had put it off and put it off until Jeff finally convinced him to let him do it, a decision Tom was regretting with each passing moment.

"Jeff, I don't know how much more I can take....owwwww!"

"You are a fuckin' pussy." Jeff snorted

"Miaaaoooowwww!" Tom answered

"There. That was the last one."

"Next time I get it done by a doctor." Tom gingerly rubbed the tender area.

"There better not be a next time." Vince had overheard Tom's comment. "I have invested way too much in you as a performer to have to go down injured again."

"Yessir." Tom stuttered

"Good. Creative wants a word with you when you're finished performing elective surgery." Vince power walked to his office.

Tom and Jeff looked at each other.

"Probably, nothing." Tom stated "How's your angle with Morrison goin' anyway?"

"It would be nicer if there was something more to it. We fight, I win sometimes, he wins sometimes."

"Maybe they'll throw you back in with Rey." Tom said "That would be one hell of a contest."

"Yeah... I win the IC title, Matt has the heavyweight title, and..."

"I'm on the outside lookin' in, eh." Tom said wistfully.

The meeting with creative was really short. It involved Michael Hayes saying two words to Jeff and Tom. One was "Face", and the other was "Heel".

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this triple threat contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the Intercontinental championship."

Someone from Creative must've overheard Tom's comment because that Friday's Smackdown featured a bout for Rey Mysterio's Intercontinental title. It was Rey vs Jeff Hardy vs John Morrison.

The Shaman of Sexy entered first, followed by Jeff, followed by the Champion. John and Rey both entered solo, while Tom accompanied Jeff. Matt still held the Heavyweight title, so he was rarely seen with Jeff and/or Tom.

"I'm watching you, Hardy." Charles Robinson was assigned to this match. It seemed like no matter where Tom went, he got stuck with this ref.

"How about you watch the match for a change?" Tom taunted back.

"Ring the bell." He yelled.

Tom jumped off the apron when the other three started mixing it up. It was frustrating just to stand there, watching the action, and not be able to get involved.

"Ah, fuck it." Tom muttered, looking for a way in. When Rey got a little too close, Tom interfered, knocking the young Luchador on his butt.

"I'm warning you." Robinson yelled at him.

"Did you see somethin'?" Tom shouted

The referee looked at Tom, then at Rey still on the floor and made a snap decision. "You are out of here!" He shouted, jumping down to confront Tom.

"Did you see somethin'?" Tom repeated, yelling back.

"I didn't have to. Get to the back!"

"Make me!" Tom shouted

The referee ran over to the ring announcer and whispered something to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please." Even the action in the ring paused. "Referee Charles Robinson has informed me that if Tom Hardy does not leave the ringside area immediately, he will disqualify Jeff Hardy."

A DQ in a triple threat match was unheard of, but the referee's word was law. The fans were not happy with this, and neither were the combatants in the match who had the same last name.

Jeff quickly jumped out of the ring to where Tom was trying to get to the referee.

"I got it bro. Just chill."

"Of all the times to go on a power trip." Tom made a huge production out of returning to the back. It was all part of the show up to when he hit Rey. He hadn't expected to be ejected.

"I really got start paying more attention to the match preps." Tom grunted

"It wouldn't help." A voice that Tom recognized said.

"Oh?" Tom raised his brow.

"Yeah. It's something new Creative is trying. Vince likes the idea of honest reactions from wrestlers so, everyone is only being told what they absolutely need to know if they're not in the ring." Matt hefted his coveted World Title and looked at Tom quizzically.

"So if I were in the match, I'd know everything, but since I was just an extra body, all I knew was when Rey rolled out near me I was supposed to deck him." Tom answered

"Somethin' like that. How's Jeff doin'?" Matt asked

"See for yourself? He's hitting everything in sight." Tom stared at the monitor. Both Rey and Morrison were on the canvas courtesy of two swanton bombs.

"Go Jeff... bring more gold to the family." Matt shouted

"I think Jeff's luck ran out." Tom said. Rey had recovered, and quickly 619-ed him. Jeff staggered back into the middle of the ring where he was hit with the West Coast Pop. The only thing that saved him was Morrison breaking up Mysterio's pin.

"I guess Morrison wants to be the only person on top of Jeff." Matt said

Tom immediately had a flashback. He breathed loudly through his mouth, willing the anger away. He wanted to cut Matt down, but only stopped when he realized that he hadn't spoken to Matt since their fight in his hallway.

"I guess." He channeled his feelings into something more constructive: cheering for his brother.

Near-fall followed near-fall followed near-fall. It was hard to tell who was more exhausted... the wrestlers or the referee from counting to two time after time.

The fans started really getting into it, stamping, clapping, oohing with each near pinfall. They erupted loudly when Rey hit another 619-West Coast Pop combination, but this time on Morrison. A cover, but Rey forgot about his other opponent. Jeff was perched on the top rope, waiting for the right moment. As soon as Rey was in position, Jeff flew, taking out both Rey and Morrison. Mysterio was nice enough to roll out of the ring and Jeff draped his body across Morrison. Three seconds later, it was done. Jeff Hardy was the new Intercontinental Champion.

"I guess I gotta win a title now." Tom laughed "I'll feel naked at family gatherings without one."

"I'm sure you'll get your opportunity some day." Matt clapped Tom on the back, and headed for the ring to celebrate with Jeff.

"Sooner than you think, Matty. Sooner than you think!" Tom forced a smile and followed.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_I hope I haven't given too much away, but everyone know's wrestling is scripted. I know I've been messing around with the brands, but trying to keep track of who's where gives me migraines... call it creative License._

_So, Morrison and Jeff are together, and Tom is a little less leery about what happened in the hotel. What about Matt and Tom, though? Find out next chapter._


	9. Brotherhood of the Wolf

Brotherhood of the Wolf (in Sheep's Clothing)

Despite the fact that both Matt and Jeff held individual titles, there was still a little unfinished business involving the trio of Hardys and Legacy. Randy had not forgotten what had happened the last time they were all in the ring together, and neither had Cody or Ted.

How could they? Since losing the title, Randy had been feeding his Legacy-mates to some of the biggest guys in the company. Undertaker, Kane, Khali... they'd all had matches with one of them and it usually meant squash!

"Okay, you two, you know what's happenin' tonight?" Randy barked

"Randy, come on. Ease up." Cody begged

"Yeah, Orton, how many times do we have to admit we screwed up before you give us a break?"

This exchange was taking place in the middle of the ring in front of thousands of fans live and millions watching at home.

"Tonight, we are gonna welcome a new member to the Legacy family." Randy announced "Manu, Sim Snuka, neither of you could cut it, but I have found someone who is ready to carry on his family's Legacy by becoming a part of ours. But before we do that, we have some other business to take care of. Matt, Jeff, Tom, get your asses out here."

Jeff's music played first, followed by Matt's and then Tom's. He was using the classic theme, not having his own music yet.

"Tonight, Hardy Boyz, it's not about titles. It's about finishing what we started. The three of us against the three of you."

Matt, Jeff, and Tom looked only mildly interested. "I've already got your title, why would I want to bust you up more?" Matt asked

"That was a fluke and you know it... but that's not what it's about. By the time we're done, both you and Jeff will have to forfeit your titles because you won't be able to stand, much less defend them and as for your brother, let's just say that Legacy has a special surprise planned."

Tom perked up. He liked surprises.

"So what do you say. Do you accept our challenge?" Randy yelled

The Hardys quickly conferred.

"I'm in," Tom quickly said "But you two got more to lose than I do."

"Let's take those motha-fuckas, dog!" At some point in the last five seconds, Jeff had gone on vacation and Itchweeed had joined the WWE.

"Legacy, you got yourselves a match!" Matt shouted. Appropriately, he had the only live mic. "But since you are so desperate to get your hands on us, let's make it tables, ladders, and chairs."

"You're on! But since we're adding stipulations, let's make it an elimination TLC match. That way, Legacy can rid the WWE of all three of you at once!" Cody grabbed the microphone from Randy.

"Yeah, dog. We gonna rid this shizznit." Jeff added

Legacy looked confused. That wasn't in the script.

"One last little thing. Apparently Jeff isn't here tonight." Tom laughed "So it's Legacy vs The World Champion Matt Hardy, The Future Tom Hardy (he came up with the nickname on the spot), and Itchweeed."

"We don't care if you dig up the body of your father. Tonight, we end this and we end the careers of the entire Hardy family and anyone else you wanna bring with you." Randy postured in the ring until they went to commercial.

"Holy ad-lib!" Matt said once backstage.

"Yo dog, them motha-fuckas is gonna get their schizznit taked from them. Ya know?"

"A word, Matt?" Tom pulled Matt aside. Jeff, or Itchweeed, capered off, looking for something, possibly his weed-eater.

"Whassup, Tom?" Matt asked

"I really need to clear the air with you. Is there some place we can talk?"

Matt checked his watch. They had about ninety minutes before their match. "Sure." They walked into one of the private locker rooms.

"Matt, I know you've been tolerating me because we have to work together, and I appreciate that, but I think it's time I told you a few things and maybe you'll understand..." Tom took a deep breath and rehashed what he'd told Jeff on his couch.

"Dude, why didn't you just come out and tell me?" Matt asked "I'm not as much of a cement-head as some people seem to think."

"I don't know why I didn't tell you. Maybe because I couldn't explain it to myself, much less anyone else." Tom stated

"What about Jeff?" Matt asked

"We've already had our meeting of the minds." Tom sighed

"And...?"

"As far as I know, Jeff loves me again." Tom answered

"He never stopped." Matt interjected "And neither did I." He tagged Tom on the jaw playfully.

"Thanks Matt." Tom smiled "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Hey, what's family for?"

"Yo dogs, what cha doin' in there? We got a match later."

"Not for a while." Matt shouted through the door. "Find a lawn or something... better still, see if you can find my brother Jeff."

"Jeff. I ain't seen that dawg for months, motha-fuckas. I been busy with my shit."

"I guess we're tagging with Itchweeed tonight." Tom sighed

"I guess." Matt said

"Why now?" Tom asked

"I dunno. Itchweeed usually doesn't come out unless Jeff is overly stressed about something." Matt responded "Or he's just in one of his moods."

"But does he know how to wrestle?" Tom replied "This is tables ladders and chairs, not tables ladders chairs and weed eaters."

In the corridor, they ran into John Morrison, who also seemed to be looking for Jeff.

"Matt, have you seen Jeff?" He asked

"I dunno. One minute he was here, the next he was gone." Matt replied

"I gotta find him. We had a date for after the show but I'm gonna be a bit late." Morrison said

"Glad to see you and Jeff are hitting it off." Matt answered

"Yeah, he's a great guy to be around and the sex is..." Morrison slammed his jaws shut. He hadn't seen Tom standing behind Matt. "If you, uh, do see him, tell him I'll pick him up around ten thirty." He scurried away.

Tom glared straight ahead. "Dammit..." He one small comment had put him right back on the edge of a violent outburst.

Matt sensed the change in his brother. "Tom, just relax. Repeat after me: these are not my thoughts..."

"These are not my thoughts." Tom repeated through clenched teeth.

"Just keep sayin' it, man." Matt knew the signs of a panic attack when he saw them.

"These are not my thoughts." Tom repeated over and over until he was calm.

"Dawgs, we gots to go." Itchweeed announced "I couldn't find that Jeff dude... maybe he's with all the otha dawgs out there that don't know where they are, what they are, or if they are...".

"Okay, Itchweeed, let's go." Matt said

"We gonna whip their asses like a Zebra." He held his weed eater above his head. Forget the Intercontinental title, Itchweeed had his own trophy.

"It's now time for the Tables Ladders and Chairs Elimination Tag Match..."

The fans roared, the anticipation had been building through the entire show. Was Legacy gonna make good on their promises or would the Hardy's triumph? Who was gonna join Legacy or was it another of their empty threats?

"Introducing team number one... at a combined weight of six hundred seventy-nine pounds, Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton... The Legacy!"

"Are we sure about this?" Tom asked from the back, watching Jeff... I mean Itchweeed caper around, muttering something about his seventh, eighth, and ninth daddies. "It might be easier if we tie him to something and do this three-on-two."

"Yo dawg, just like the giraffes in Africa, I'm gonna rock this shit, dawg."

"Maybe we can hope he gets eliminated first." Matt shook his head.

"Is it too late to disown this family?" Tom exhaled

"Much more of this and I may join ya." Matt agreed

"And their opponents... first from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing two hundred thirty-four pounds, the World Heavyweight Champion... Matt Hardy!"

Matt stood at the entrance.

"His partner, from Los Angeles California, weighing two hundred sixty-five pounds, The Future Tom Hardy..."

Tom entered, an amused expression on his face.

"And their partner... from Haitiwok, North Carolina, Itchweeed!"

"What?" Matt and Tom asked each other. They had not expected that.

"Yo, dawg." Itchweeed came out. He got a nice reaction from the crowd, while his partners tried not to break out in hysterical laughter.

"We are so fucked, man." Tom said

Match Summary

9:43 Cody Rhodes pinned after Swanton through table.

15:03 Ted DiBiase pinned after Twist of Fate on ladder

15:12 Matt Hardy pinned following RKO onto ladder

19:03 Itchweeed pinned after RKO onto chair

This left Tom versus Randy Orton. Randy was a little tired, Tom wasn't. He'd purposely stuck to mat wrestling the few minutes he'd been in the ring, not willing to risk another injury. While everyone else was going for flash and high-risk maneuvers, Tom stuck to a ground attack, only occasionally using a chair or table.

Orton glared at Tom, who mouthed something back. Randy replied with some rude comment directed at Tom's ancestry (bastardized and possibly involving farm animals) and sexual habits (again extremely colorful and containing deciduous trees).

Tom answered with a comment about blow jobs in the barracks, poking Randy's chest for emphasis.

Randy poked Tom right back. Tom smiled and flopped on his back. Randy lay on top of him and scored a three count.

"Your winners... Legacy!"

The crowd booed at the obvious jobbing.

"Cody, Ted, get out here and welcome the newest member of Legacy... Tom Hardy!" Randy shouted

Hugs all around as Legacy greeted their new teammate. Backstage, Tom's ex-teammates stood, mouths open, as they watched their brother apparently join forces with their enemies.

The fans responded, showering the ring with garbage. Tom just barely missed getting hit with a full beer.

"Hey, Matty, Jeffro." Tom mocked them. "Or whomever the hell you are. You talked about the Legacy of the Hardy Boyz... well my Legacy starts now! Do you two really think that I was gonna stand there while you two grabbed all the glory, all the titles? What better way to start my career than by aligning myself with legit winners. Randy Orton, the youngest WWE Champion! Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, two second-generation superstars and the future of the WWE!"

Randy took the mic from Tom. The fan noise almost drowned him out. "That's right... I have assembled the future of the WWE in this very ring and no one is gonna stop us from taking back what is rightfully mine... the World Heavyweight Championship. So Matt, I am issuing you a challenge for next week for that title that you stole from me!"

Tom took the mic back while the audience chanted "Har-dy! Har-dy! Har-dy!"

"And Jeffro, my little brother. Don't get too comfy with that Intercontinental title, either. Next week, you and I are gonna get it on. That is, if you got the guts to face me."

Despite the RKO's they'd received only minutes earlier, both Matt and Jeff (or was it Itchweeed... I swear, that guy changes personalities more often than I change my socks.) rushed the ring and started fighting Legacy, despite the numbers disadvantage. Unexpectedly, the Hardys were doing quite well against Randy, Cody, and Ted until Tom decided to step in. Using a leftover chair from their match, he laid both of them out. Raw went off the air with the Hardys prone on the mat and Legacy standing tall, arms raised.

Once the cameras were off, Legacy left the ring, leaving Matt and Jeff to stagger back on their own afterward.

However, Matt grabbed a microphone instead. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the first annual Matt Hardy invitational dance competition!" For anyone who has been to a live taping, there usually is some post-show fun, whether it be a dark match, or like tonight, a dance contest. "This contest is open to anyone in the back. The winner will be judged by you... the fans!"

Loud cheers.

One by one, the competitors entered the ring: Rey Mysterio, Smackdown General manager Theodore Long, The Bella twins, and even a couple of cameo appearances by Scotty 2 Hotty and Mick Foley's alter ego: Dude Love.

They each showed off their best steps to the approval (or not) of the crowd.

"I think we have a winner..." But before Matt could crown the Bella twins the co-winners, and possible set himself up for some action, there was a late entry.

"You didn't think you could have a dance contest without me, Matty?" All traces of Itchweeed were gone and in his place, a rejuvenated Jeff Hardy stood on the stage. The fans went wild. The familiar Hardy chant started up again.

"Hit my music." Jeff danced down the aisle, into the ring, and hip-hopped, shucked and jived, and break-danced his way to a sure victory. Even if he'd sucked, the fans would've probably voted him the winner anyway.

Tom had just stepped out of the shower and was in the process of changing when the crowd noise caused him to stop. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and stuck his head into the hallway.

"What's goin' on?" He asked

"Dance off." Triple H replied, watching the monitor along with some of the other superstars.

"What? Why didn't somebody tell me!" Tom threw on his jeans and a t-shirt and ran to the Gorilla position just in time to hear Matt say. "I think it's unanimous... the winner is..."

"Hold on a second." Tom ran out on stage. "There's one more entrant." He sprinted down to the ring and rolled in.

"Who?" Matt asked

"Me." Tom replied

"You?" Matt laughed

"Oh, really. Well, give me some music and I'll show you who has the real talent in the Hardy family." Tom waited for his cue. When the music started, he put on his own display, combining techno steps with the Macarena, Bunny Hop, Chicken dance, as well as a good impression of John Travolta into one flawless routine.

Matt, Jeff, as well as the other dancers all watched. Tom seemed to become one with the sound, letting the music penetrate every fiber of his body.

For the next ten minutes, Tom and Jeff traded dance moves like the old street challenges of the eighties, until they were both soaked with sweat and exhaustion.

"Okay... it's time to determine a winner... can I hear it for Jeff?"

The crowd roared. A weary Jeff acknowledged them with a wave.

"How about Tom?"

A similar roar. The fans knew what had happened earlier was part of the show.

"Once more... is it Jeff?"

Another eruption of noise. Jeff put his hands to his ears, egging them to cheer louder.

"Or Tom?" Tom did the same, mimicking the Hulkster's hand to ear pose.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a tie!" It was really too close to call.

As if they'd won the Tag titles, Tom and Jeff stood in the center of the ring, arms raised in victory. This soon turned into another one of Jeff's emotional outbursts. He hugged Tom tightly and even planted a small peck on his cheek.

"Jeff, I'm sweaty." Tom was still a little uncomfortable with the affection, but he wasn't going to let it get to him. At least not there and then.

"Me too." Jeff replied "Are you still that afraid of what you might do to hug me?"

To Tom it sounded like Jeff was asking him to take what was a simple hug into an area that society forbade.

"Whatever." Tom returned the hug, and actually enjoyed it. It was good to feel loved, even if there were eighteen thousand people watching them.

While the ring announcer thanked the fans for coming, yadda, yadda, yadda, Tom and Jeff still held each other.

"Uh guys." Matt whispered "People are staring."

"Fuck 'em." Jeff replied "Tom's finally accepted who he is." What Jeff had originally thought was sweat dripping off Tom turned out to be his tears. The tough, angry exterior that Tom had built up around him had finally cracked enough to let the real Tom Hardy shine through.

The fans were too busy leaving to notice Tom's face was a little redder and a lot wetter when he finally let go of Jeff. The trio of Hardys left the ring last.

"Where'd you learn to dance like that?" Jeff asked

"Picked up a few steps here and there." Tom responded "But it looks like I need another shower. He sniffed at himself, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Yeah, bro, you stink." Jeff sniffed loudly.

"And you don't." Tom joked, stripping down without a second thought.

"You goin' first?" Jeff asked

"There's more than one shower, bro." Tom answered

"But aren't you the guy who had a problem with nudity in front of family?" Jeff queried

"Jeff, I've seen more of you than any brother has a right to." Tom answered "Hell, if I'd walked in five seconds later, I'd have seen your o-face as well."

Jeff was amazed. Even earlier than night, discussions of events had irritated Tom. Now, he was talking as if it was nothing at all. Tom, wearing only his towel, sauntered into the shower stalls.

Matt looked at Jeff. "I think we've finally broken through."

"Yeah, Matty, we have. Thanks." Jeff hugged his other brother, though not nearly as long and sprinted into the showers.

Tom and Jeff showered, avoiding any eye contact, Tom might've seemed okay about everything, but Jeff wasn't taking any chances.

"Have you ever been a heel?" Tom asked

"Nah, dude." Jeff replied

"I'm really lookin' forward to it." Tom carefully scrubbed what little hair he had left, avoiding the angry looking area on the back of his scalp. "But I've always been a face."

"Talk to Matt?" Jeff suggested "He's done the whole Mattitude thing before."

"Cool." Tom sighed, letting the water wash everything down the drain. The sweat, tears, angst, and everything else that had been bugging him seemed to go swirling.

"Jeff?" Tom sighed "I hate to be a pain, but I think we got a problem..."

"'Sup, dude?" Jeff asked "Don't tell me you're out of cream rinse."

"Nothing as serious as that." Tom cracked a smile. "I think I've fallen in love." He said

"You are? Congrats, bro." Jeff cheered "What's the problem?"

Tom turned to look at Jeff. "I think I've fallen in love... with you."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Now the cat's out of the bag! What will happen next? _

_To those of you who have been reviewing my writing, I appreciate the time and effort you take... it says a lot that you're willing to let me know what you think about my work. In future, I will try to answer as many of them as I can, but it might take a while._

_This chapter was originally much longer, but I didn't think you wanted another blow-by-blow (giggles) of the elimination match. I know I can only take so much description before it becomes redundant. If you like that sort of thing, please let me know and I can adapt... more in-ring, less in-ring, whatever you'd like._

_And finally, I am running out of title chapter suggestions... if anyone knows of any books, songs, movies, with a "brother" or something similar in the title, please message me. Thanx._

_In the words of Itchweeed, "Later, dawg."  
_


	10. Big Brother is Watching

Big Brother is Watching!

"What do I do now?" Tom was on the phone with his adopted mother. "I can't get this guy out of my head." He had decided not to tell his mom the entire story, especially the part about the guy in question being his brother.

"It's up to you, Andy." She replied, using his given name. "Does he know that you have a thing for him?"

"Yeah Mom, and that's where things get complicated." He replied "I work with him... it's not like I can just go away for a week and hope that this works itself out."

"Well, I'd suggest you talk to him and see what he thinks."

"That's sorta what I was planning, but it's nice to hear someone else's ideas. We're coming up to Toronto in a couple of weeks, maybe we can get together for lunch?"

"Yeah, son, I haven't seen you in a while. Call me when you know for sure."

"Thanks mom." Tom hung up the phone, breathing heavily. She'd only confirmed what he'd already known and done.

Things were a mess outside the ring. At least his career was showing some signs of stability. The whole Legacy angle was working well. Their feud with the HardyS had been going well, though neither Randy, nor Tom, nor Cody and Ted had been able to get either title off the brothers.

"Hey, bro." Jeff had been going out of his way to avoid Tom since his shower-stall revelation several weeks earlier, even going so far as to improvise entire matches when necessary.. "We really need to talk."

"Yes, we do." Tom slipped his phone into his pocket.

Jeff and Tom went into catering for a pre-match snack. They were fighting for Jeff's IC title again that night and once more, Jeff was leaving the ring the champion.

Balancing plates of food on their laps, they found a quiet corridor. Tom's heart was racing. He could hear the blood coursing through his veins, thankfully it hadn't gone to his groin. That would be really bad.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Tom asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Us." Jeff replied "You and me."

"Look, Jeff, I was outta line." Tom said "I've been harboring these feelings for so long that I can't go on pretending I'm something I'm not."

"But we're brothers, man. Even if I wanted to, I could never love you that way." Jeff answered

"I know that, Jeff. That's what making it so damn hard for me. Two months ago, you didn't even know I existed." Tom replied, twirling his fork through a pile of potato salad.

"I wouldn't trade the past two months for anything." Jeff smiled sweetly.

"Neither would I." Tom ate thoughtfully. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm really having a hard time with this." He pinched the bridge of his nose tightly.

"Tommy, look at me." Jeff set his plate down and knelt in front of Tom. "If it weren't for the fact that we are family, I could see something maybe happening. But family is one line I will not cross."

"I wish you hadn't said that first part." Tom attempted to eat another pile of mashed potatoes, but his hand was shaking too badly.

"Tommy, you were honest with me about your feelings, so I'm being honest with you about mine." Jeff took Tom's trembling hand in his own. Just the touch was enough to send a shock straight to Tom's core.

"Honesty aside, Jeffro. What the hell do I do?"

"Is there no one else you can talk to about this?" Jeff asked, concern written on his face. He didn't like seeing Tom like this. They'd had some rough spots in the past, but this was a true relationship-breaker if either Jeff or Tom said the wrong thing.

"Who?" Tom answered sharply. "If you know someone who won't judge me when I tell them that I am having romantic feelings for my brother, I'd like their name and phone number pronto."

"Yeah, dude, I wish there was something I could do." Jeff answered

"Let me win the Intercontinental Title?" Tom suggested, trying to sway the conversation into something a little less angsty.

"You'll have more luck trying to get me into bed with you..." Jeff joked "Oh, fuck, man, that was stupid of me... I'm sorry." Tom's reaction was anything but one of humor. His whole body started to shake. He was having a full panic attack.

"Th-th-th-these are not my th-th-th-thoughts." Tom said through his teeth. "These are not my thoughts."

"Tommy, relax." Jeff recognized a panic attack when he saw one. He'd had a few of them himself over the years. "I didn't mean it."

"These are not my thoughts." Tom repeated, willing his heart to stop pounding. It felt like it was going to explode.

"Breathe Tommy, please!" Jeff urged, panic starting to set in.

Tom's chest was throbbing so badly, it felt more like a heart attack than a panic attack. He forced himself to breathe through his mouth, even though pain coursed through his torso with each deep breath he took

Jeff rubbed the back of Tom's neck, hoping it would help. After several rasping breaths Tom felt the tightness in his chest slowly ease away. He focused on bringing his entire body back under control.

"Whew!" Tom exhaled noisily once more.

"Don't ever do that to me again." Jeff continued to massage him.

"Jeff, that was too fuckin' close, even for me." Tom said, still breathing heavily. "No more jokes, okay?"

"I'm sorry." Jeff was so happy that his brother was okay, tears started to form in his eyes.

"Awwww, Jeffro." Tom softened "It's okay." He grabbed him in a tight hug. "It's not your fault."

"I know." Jeff sobbed quietly. "But it seems like every time you hurt, it's because of something I did."

"Don't even start thinking that. You are no more responsible for my pain than a tea leaf knows the history of the British East India Company." Tom held Jeff's head his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the moisture from his eyes. "If you weren't so damned cute, though." He kissed Jeff softly, on the forehead, then let him go.

"I'll see you in the ring." He gathered his uneaten food and headed back to his locker to change.

Jeff stood, a little confused. Had he just allowed his brother to kiss him? This wasn't just a brotherly peck on the cheek, like the kisses he'd often shared with Matt. There were deeper feelings behind it, but Jeff had, dare he think it, liked it?

"No! You can't think that!" Jeff whispered hoarsely. "You've been after John for months and now you have him... don't fuck it up!"

A little bewildered, Jeff also headed back to change before he laid another beating down on his brother.

"Oh man, does my chest hurt!" Tom winced, holding an ice bag to his sternum.

"I saw." Matt said from where he was getting ready to defend his title against Randy Orton. "Jeff seemed a little off out there."

"A little. I'm gonna have his ass marks on my chest for weeks." Tom lifted the ice bag, and gently touched the tender area.

Jeff had misjudged the distance when he Swantoned onto Tom. Too late, he'd tried to compensate, but had ended up landing ass over teakettle on Tom's chest.

"Maybe he's having man-problems." Matt suggested

Tom's heart skipped a beat. Had Jeff said something to Matt about him?

"I mean, I haven't seen Morrison around much lately." Matt continued

Tom's heart returned to his normal rhythm. For now, his secret was safe.

"Me neither." Tom agreed "Jeff hasn't said anything to me, regardless."

"I'll talk to him." Matt offered

"Talk to me about what?" Jeff stood in the doorway, munching on his favorite snack.

"You seemed a little off out there." Tom said "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, dude, I'm fine."

"Everything's cool?" Matt added

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"I haven't seen John for a while... you haven't had a fight or anything have ya?" Matt replied

"No Matty, everything's fine with me and Johnny." Jeff responded.

"Just askin', bro." Matt sounded hurt. "You know you can talk to me about anythin'."

Tom's heart skipped another beat.

"Yeah, I know." Jeff sighed

"I'll see you later... maybe we can hit a bar or something?" Matt said, grabbing the championship.

"Sure." Jeff threw his wife beater into his locker and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around his waist before removing his pants and shorts, something Tom had never seen Jeff do before. Without even looking at Tom, Jeff headed for the privacy of the shower.

"Fuck." Tom took the ice pack from his chest and placed it over his eyes.

Alone in the shower, Jeff replayed what had happened earlier in the evening in his mind. Point one: Tom had a thing for him. Point two: they were brothers. Point three: incest was bad. So why had Jeff enjoyed the feel of Tom's lips on him? He had Morrison and their relationship sure wasn't lacking in that department, yet there was something different with Tom. Maybe it was that he shouldn't have this type of feelings, but why was he? Jeff spun the dial, immolating himself under the warm spray, hoping that the water would clear everything up for him.

In another part of the arena, Morrison was running over his Extreme Rules match for the following night with his opponent, The ECW champion: Christian.

"And then I hit you with the Killswitch." Christian said

"And that's it." Morrison replied

"Yeah, that's it." Christian said "Unless there is anything else you'd like to add to the match."

"No, it works for me. I just wish I got to hit you with a few more chairs and shit." Morrison said

"You really like these extreme rules matches, dontcha?"

"Enjoy it while you're young." Morrison replied

"Watch it. I'm not that much older than you." Christian answered

"Dude, you're 36. That's two days older than dirt." Morrison joked

"You kids don't know no respect for your elders." He scolded

Morrison laughed. "I hope I can still get around when I'm your age pops. But yes, I love this type of match for me. It's a real high."

Christian smiled. He'd felt the same way in his "younger days" when he and Edge were tearing up arena. "I'll stick to sex, if it's all the same to you. That's about as high as I want to get right now."

"Mmmm... sex." Morrison moaned

"Now that's just creeping me out." Christian replied "Don't you have someone?"

"Mmmm... Jeff." Morrison moaned again.

"Morrison, go!" He pointed at the door. "Get Jeff to take care of you!"

"Mmmm... head."

"Or Al Snow, if that's what you're into." Christian replied "I gotta change."

"You know what I'd really like right now?" Morrison asked "A religious experience."

"A religious experience? Join a monastery." Christian said, pulling off his shirt while rummaging through his bag for his ring gear.

"Not that kind of religious experience. An "oh, God" type of religious experience." Morrison smiled sneakily. "Do you know any hot Christians out there?"

Christian swallowed noisily. Was Morrison suggesting they do it?

"John, I..."

"Get off it, Jay. Everyone knows you and Adam got off with each other back in the day." Morrison replied

"That was different, John. We were young, our hormones were nuts, and most importantly, we were both single." He emphasized the last word.

"So? We still are." Morrison answered

"I am... you're not." Christian responded

"So? What are you afraid of?" Morrison asked

"I dunno. How about Jeff finding out?"

"Jeff... like he's gonna find out." Morrison replied, pushing Christian back onto a couch and landing on top of him.

"John... no!" Christian shouted

"Your mouth says no, but the rest of you is saying take me." John caressed the front of Christian's jeans, making him hard in seconds. Kissing his way down Christian's well-muscled chest, he attacked the front of his jeans with a Batista-like intensity.

"Raise up." Morrison whispered. Against his will, Christian complied, feeling a blast of warm air on his genitals.

"Man, for a old guy, you're sure packin'." Morrison whistled appreciatively.

"It's genetics." Jay gasped, a familiar sensation building inside him.

"You make Jeff seem small." Morrison swallowed, curling his fingers around Christian's length and stroking him gently.

The sensations were so light and gentle, Christian almost lost it right there. It was the total opposite of the way Adam had been. He'd always been rougher, making Jay shoot more out of reflex than actual arousal.

John kissed the tip, already oozing fluid, and swiped his tongue across the narrow slit.

"Forget the A-List, you're gonna be on my O-List!" John took the head into his mouth and licked circles around it.

"Jesus Christ, Morrison, where'd you learn to do that?" Christian bucked his hips, driving his entire length into his mouth.

"Good fuckin' question." The door was kicked open and an angry Jeff Hardy stood there, hands on hips.

"Shit, Jeff, this isn't..." Christian pulled away, attempting to cover up.

"Don't fuckin' lie to me Jay." Jeff barked

"I am outta here." Deciding that discretion was indeed the better part of valour, Jay hastily made his exit, grabbing his luggage in the process and running down the corridor.

"What the hell was that? Am I not enough for you?" Jeff shouted, standing over Morrison. "Who else in this company have you been sucking on when I'm not around?"

"No one, Jeff." Morrison replied

"Like I fuckin' believe that." Jeff grabbed John's shirt, lifting him off the couch, only to push him back down. "Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Jeff, I..."

"Shut up John!" Jeff bellowed "I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" He ran from the room.

"Jeff, wait... I can explain this!" Morrison called after him.

"Don't bother." Jeff responded "We're finished."

Jeff ran away, heading for his own locker room. Morrison just stood in the doorway.

"What the fuck have I done? Jeff! Jeff!" He took off after him.

Jeff ran aimlessly through the backstage, almost running over several people in the process.

"Whoa, kid, what's the rush?" When he hit Mark, he was the first one not to fall down.

"I... saw... Morrison... w-w-w-with... Christian!" Jeff sobbed into the big man's arms.

"Are you sure?" Mark asked

"Yes... they w-w-w-were..."

"That's okay, kid. I don't need to know." Mark answered

"Jeff... where are you Jeff? I just wanna talk."

"Keep him away from me, please?" Jeff begged

"Okay."

Jeff hid behind Mark's almost seven-foot frame.

"Mark, have you seen... oh, there you are Jeff. Can we talk about this please?" Morrison panted

"Jeff doesn't want to talk to you." Mark snarled "I would suggest that you leave before you find yourself exploring several realms of pain."

'This doesn't involve you, Calaway!" John shouted "Now get out of my way!"

"It does now... do you want to talk to him?" Mark asked Jeff, not removing his gaze from Morrison.

"No..." Jeff shook

"Okay." Mark rolled his eyes and grabbed Morrison by the throat. Three seconds later, Morrison was lying in a pile of broken wood and metal that had been a piece of scaffold.

"Thank-you." Jeff hugged the big man.

"You do seem to have a way with relationships." Mark thought, looking at the body of John Morrison.

"Hey Mark, have you seen... oh there he is." Matt had come looking for Jeff when he hadn't returned after saying he was gonna bring Morrison out for drinks. He stared at the scene in front of him, suspiciously looking at Jeff, in Mark's arms of all people, then over at Morrison who was just coming to, then to Mark.

"Matty? Thank God you're here!" Jeff let go of Mark and rushed at his brother.

"Jeffro, what the hell happened?" Matt asked

Jeff cried in his brothers grip, his wails obscuring almost all of his words. The only words Matt could understand were "Morrison" and "caught".

"Huh?" Matt asked, "Jeff, you have to calm down."

Jeff only cried harder.

"Matt. Can we talk?" Mark asked

"Taker, I'm a little busy at the moment." Matt replied "Can it wait?"

"I know what happened, if that makes it easier." Mark said, keeping one eye locked on Morrison, who was rolling around in obvious agony.

"Well, tell me then." Matt demanded

Not wanting to disturb Jeff any more, Mark whispered it in Matt's ear. His eyes narrowed, rage flowing freely through his system.

"I'll kill him." He hissed

"Matt, I took care of it already." Mark answered "Right now, Jeff needs you."

"Thanks. You've always been a good friend to Jeff." Matt relaxed.

"Hey, bros, are we still going out.... tonight?" Tom yelled down the hall. The last word got stuck when he saw the scene... Jeff crying uncontrollably in Matt's arms, Mark looking a little uncomfortable and Morrison on the floor.

"I think we should take Jeff back to the hotel." Matt answered

"Okay." Tom was still trying to process the situation. "Is someone gonna explain this to me or am I gonna hafta guess?"

"Maybe you should just take Jeff back to his hotel." Mark suggested

"Good idea. Morrison, if you want to continue breathing, you'll stay away from Jeff from now on." Matt led a weeping Jeff away with promises of Skittles and Bunny to calm him a little.

"I'll catch up later." Tom answered, still trying to understand. "Do you wanna tell me what's goin' on, or do I have to find out through the gossip at the coffee machine?"

"If I tell you, promise me you won't do anything stupid." Mark replied

"I can't promise you anything, Dead Man." Tom answered "Just tell me, please."

"All I know is that Jeff apparently walked in on Morrison and someone else..."

"Morrison cheated on him!" Tom exclaimed "With who?"

"I dunno." Mark lied. He already felt a little guilty for the pain he'd inflicted on Morrison and did not want to be indirectly responsible for anything that might happen to Christian. If Tom found out on his own, that was his problem. "I've dealt with it."

"I can see that." Tom said "I should probably go see if Jeff's alright."

"I'll clean up this mess." Mark said "Don't worry about your brother... he's in good hands."

"I know he is." Tom answered, already walking away. "But I wish they were mine."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Well, it looks like the Shaman of Sexy is nothing more than a two-timing, heartless bastard. Even if Christian is one hot hunk of man!_

_Is this the end of the road for Jeff and John? What will Tom do? Is he going to act on his feelings for Jeff? Stay tuned!_

_I promise a surprise in the next chapter awaits everyone (even me!)  
_


	11. Jeff Hardy: Int'l Brother of Mystery

Jeff Hardy: International Brother of Mystery

"Are you ever planning to get out of that bed?" Tom demanded, setting a tray of food down on the bedside table.

"No." Jeff sulked, pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Well, here's breakfast anyway." Tom said "You know, it would've been nice if you'd given me a little warning before you showed up."

"Why? So you could try to talk me out of it!" Jeff pouted more.

"I may be your older brother, but it's your life... if you want to throw everything away, it's not for me to try to convince you otherwise. Now, do you want to tell me what really happened? I find it hard to believe that Vince just gave you your release. You were IC champion for fuck's sake!"

"I told you what happened." Jeff replied, eyeing the food beside him. He was hungry, but didn't want to seem like he needed it.

"And I talked to Vince. He told me that you stormed into his office, threw the belt down and quit on the spot." Tom replied

"Oh." Jeff look down, ashamed.

"Did you think that you could lie to me and get away with it? We work, er worked, for the same company. I was bound to find out, if not from the boss, from someone." Tom sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Jeff. "Does Matt know?"

Jeff stared at the quilt. "No." He mumbled

"Oh?" Tom answered, surprised. "I guess he'll find out eventually."

"Maybe he won't?" Jeff asked hopefully.

"Jeff be serious. Do you think Matt isn't gonna ask when he finds out that the title formerly held by his little brother is now vacant?" Tom answered "C'mon, Matt's not that dumb is he? Are you gonna eat this or not?"

"I'm not hungry." Jeff went back in sulky mode.

"Jeffro, you gotta eat." Tom took a spoonful of egg and held it. "Don't make me do airplane."

Jeff turned his head aside.

"Fine... pilot to tower... pilot to tower... flight number seven to Hardy International requesting clearance. I have cargo that needs offloading immediately." Tom felt totally foolish doing this, but sometimes Jeff's childishness became contagious. "Do I have permission to land?"

Jeff eyed the eggs hungrily.

"I'm almost out of fuel, tower, I'm coming in heavy." Tom dive bombed the spoon right at Jeff's mouth. "I don't know if I have enough to divert to Bunny National." Tom looked over at Jeff's rabbit, lying peacefully on the other pillow.

Realizing that Tom might actually try to feed his Bunny, Jeff stopped being a brat and accepted the eggs. Bunny was very fragile, she being of advanced age. (I don't know what 22 is in stuffed Bunny years, but I'll bet she ain't no spring chicken!)

"Are you gonna eat now?" Tom asked

Jeff gazed at the tray of food.

Tom set it on the bed and watched as Jeff dug into it greedily.

"Jeff, I have to fly out tonight." Tom said "I have a show in New Orleans... damn, what now?" his cell had just gone off.

"Hey Matt, how's tricks?"

"Things have gotten really weird." Matt responded

"Where are you?" Tom asked. He could barely hear him with all the background noise.

"In an airport in Des Moines." Matt answered

"Des Moines? What the hell are you doing there?" Tom demanded "We didn't have a show there, did we?"

"Something a little more serious than that, bro." Matt answered

"Oh, what happened?"

"I don't know all the details, but sometime last night, John Morrison drove his car off a bridge." Matt stated

"He what?" Tom asked

"That's what I've been told. No other details have been released." Matt swallowed nervously. "The police think Jeff might have..."

"Don't even think that, bro. I'm pretty sure that Jeff was nowhere near Des Moines, or anywhere else, last night." Tom answered, staring at Jeff who was wolfing down his breakfast, unconcerned with the conversation five feet away from him.

"Yeah?" Matt seemed to cheer up at this news. "How?"

"Because he's been at my house, holed up in my guest bedroom for the past day and a half." Tom answered

"That's a relief. I'd hate to think that Jeffro could do something like that."

"Like what... did he not... oh, I see."

"Yeah... so expect a lot of questions soon. Maybe even tonight."

"Thanks for the warning, Matt." Tom looked over at Jeff again. "Should I?"

"If you think he can handle it, I'll leave it up to you." Matt responded "I'll see you in the Big Easy later tonight and you can let me know what happened."

"Sounds good, bro." Tom answered "Laterz."

"Was that Matty?" Jeff asked

"Yes it was." Tom said "You have egg on your face."

Jeff wiped at it with his sleeve. "What'd he want?"

"Oh, just called to let me know a few things." Tom replied

"Does he know about me?" Jeff asked

"Don't know... he had a lot more pressing matters on the go." Tom debated whether or not he should tell Jeff about the fate of his ex.

"There was something more important than me?" Jeff sounded incredulous that he wasn't number one on someone's mind.

"Yeah. I know you find it hard to believe, but you are not the center of everyone's universe twenty-four seven." Tom sat down again. "Now there is something I need to tell you, but I'm not sure if you can handle this right now."

"Handle what?" Jeff asked, eyes squinting at Tom.

"According to Matt, sometime last night your ex drove his car off a bridge." Tom said choosing his words very carefully.

"Johnny? Why?" His eyes now wide, Jeff looked at Tom. "How is he?"

"He isn't, Jeff. John is dead." Tom answered "From what Matt told me, it appears that it was not suicide."

"You mean someone killed him?" Jeff asked, instinctively grabbing Bunny and holding her tight.

"I don't know anything more than what I just told you." Tom responded "I'm probably gonna find out a lot more than I want to when I get to New Orleans. There is gonna be an investigation and they are probably gonna wanna talk to you."

"Me?" Jeff squeaked "Why?"

"According to Matt, it's a matter of routine. " Tom answered "They're gonna talk to everyone eventually... you, me, Matt, Mark even. I know you had nothing to do with it unless you cut his brake cables while I was sleeping."

"Tommy!" Jeff said, alarmed.

"Sorry bro. That was uncalled for." Tom ruffled Jeff's scarecrow of hair.

"Johnny's gone." Jeff whispered, hugging Bunny.

Tom sat quietly, waiting for the inevitable flood.

"Are you okay to stay here by yourself?" He asked, when Jeff didn't start crying, which was a surprise. Jeff had been known to cry when someone lost on "The Price is Right". "I still have to fly out of here tonight."

"Do you hafta?"

"Unlike you, I don't have millions of dollars stashed away somewhere." Tom pulled his travel-worn suitcase from the closet and started packing for his two week trip through the South, ending with a one-night tournament on Raw to crown a new Intercontinental champion. "I gotta pay for this place, I'm carrying a few grand in credit card debt, and I still have a few payments to make on my Condo in Florida."

"Then I'm coming too." Jeff sprung out of the bed.

"Jeez, Jeff, I thought you wore pajamas." Tom glanced away as soon as he saw Jeff's nudity.

"I didn't bring 'em." Jeff had just shown up on Tom's doorstep with only his carry-on luggage. "Pajamas are evil anyway."

"Maybe you should buy some... unless you think it's a good idea to sleep naked in the same house as you brother who is just looking for an excuse to jump your bones." Tom answered "Six pairs of socks, six of skivvies, four shirts, three pairs of jeans, one suit and that should leave just enough space for the IC title when I win it." Tom added his shaving kit and locked it.

"If you're coming with me, you better a: put some clothes on and b: put some clothes on." Tom covered his eyes. He didn't want memories of Jeff's nether regions burned into his mind any more than it already was.

"Maybe I'll go like this." Jeff danced around, said nether regions bobbing as he moved.

"Even though it would make going through the metal detector at the airport a lot easier, I do think you should wear something."

"Naked is fun though!" Jeff sang

"If it is so fun, why didn't you volunteer to be naked instead of Mideon?" Until Jeff covered up, Tom was consciously staring at the ceiling, as ridiculous as it both looked.

"Dunno."

"For that matter, if Vince was looking for bigger ratings, he should've got you to streak instead of Kendrick. Or you and Matt instead of Jericho and Christian..."

At the mention of Christian, Jeff's mood changed abruptly. He got very quiet all of a sudden.

Now, if there was something worse than a naked brother, it was an angry, naked brother.

"C'mon Jeff, just relax." Tom took a step toward him, then realized what he was planning to do and stopped.

"Relax!" Jeff said it like the word was foreign to him. "If he hadn't..."

"Whoa, dude, you're getting all worked up over nothing. You don't even know what caused it. I don't like talking bad of the dead, but maybe John threw himself at Christian."

Tom sized up Jeff's reaction and realized he didn't like it one bit.

"He coulda said no."

"Maybe he did. Have you even talked to Christian?" Tom replied "And why are you arguing with me in the first place... I had nothing to do with this!" He was getting as flustered, if not more so, than Jeff. "I've got to leave in an hour... if you are coming with me, get dressed."

Tom grabbed his suitcase and was halfway out the door when Jeff spoke.

"Tommy, why doesn't anybody love me?"

"That's bullshit Jeff. A lot of people love you." Tom answered "There's me and Matt and Bunny and you probably still have a couple of fans..."

"I mean physically. Is there something wrong with me? Aren't I pretty enough?" Jeff gestured to his still-naked form.

"Jeff, you know my feelings about you already." Tom answered "I don't know why you can't find the love you desire. You're creative, fun to be around, generous, good-looking, and I'm getting a fucking hard-on staring at you so I'll leave now."

"Tommy, don't go." Jeff walked over and brushed against him. "Stay with me for a bit."

"Jeff, I have a flight..."

"You just said you don't have to leave for an hour... we have plenty of time." Jeff lightly ran his fingertips over the swelling in Tom's jeans.

Tom gulped nervously. "What happened to family is a line you're not willing to cross?"

"I want to be loved. I want you to love me." Jeff caressed the growing bulge, his own body responding as well.

"This is wrong." Tom groaned, desperately wanting to ravish his younger brother on the spot.

"Love is never wrong." Jeff answered, reaching up to caress his face. "Even like this."

That was all the reasoning Tom needed. Grabbing Jeff by the hips, he tossed him onto the bed and landed on top of him. They kissed deeply, mouths opening to allow their tongues to dance with each other.

"This is wrong." Tom's mind repeated, but the rest of his body wasn't listening. He broke the kiss only long enough to lick and suck his way down Jeff's upper torso, eliciting moans from his younger sibling. He flicked his tongue against the metal bar in Jeff's navel, and then looked up at Jeff. His eyes were closed, his chest was heaving, and most of all, he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying this.

"Oh Tom..." He panted

"Oh Jeff." Tom answered, spreading his legs and diving down between them, licking his inner thighs seductively.

"Ahhh!" Jeff mewled, his muscles quivering. "Stop teasing me... please!"

Hearing that was all the encouragement Tom needed. He stroked Jeff's cock a few times just to get a feel for it, then swallowed it with more skill than he should've. Any pretense of heterosexuality was gone in that instant. Tom gagged a little when the head hit the back of his throat, but he quickly recovered, swallowing around Jeff until every inch of him was in Tom's mouth and his balls were bouncing off his chin.

Jeff was gripping the sides of the bed tightly as he rode the roller coaster of passion that Tom was sending through his system. He never realized how badly he had wanted this to happen. His problem was it was too good and Jeff found himself at the brink in mere moments. The only way back was to start telling himself how wrong this was, how he shouldn't be allowing this to happen, and many other things. This got his dick to soften slightly, but Tom's mouth soon brought it back to full arousal.

"Dude... I'm ready!"

"So am I." Tom removed Jeff's dick from his mouth and started jerking it quickly with his hand. "Cum for me baby!"

"Fuck yessssss!" Jeff screeched, emptying his seed into Tom's hand. He milked Jeff for several more minutes, only stopping when he realized Jeff had no more load to shoot.

"You've done that before, dude. I know it." Jeff looked around for something to clean off with. Tom rolled off the bed; grabbing a towel from the bathroom for him to use.

"First time, bro. Scouts' honor." Tom replied

"Dude, you are so full of it... if you haven't where'd you learn to give head like that?" Jeff wiped the last traces of semen from his body and threw the dirty towel in Tom's direction.

"Fanfiction-dot-net." Tom answered "Some stories are quite helpful in that regard... did I do alright?"

"Alright? You were more than alright." Jeff sighed, snuggling back under the blankets.

"I'm sorry that I don't have any time for post-coital tenderness, but I gotta get going or I am gonna miss my flight. I guess you are staying here then?"

"Fuck." In his ecstasy, Jeff had forgotten all about his own travel plans. It wasn't that he wanted anything to do with wrestling anymore, he honestly just wanted to be with Tom as much as possible.

Jeff tore through the room, finding something in his luggage that wasn't too dirty.

"You should consider goin' back home and grabbing some clothes." Tom raised his eyebrows at Jeff. "Or buying something that doesn't look so well-worn."

"Whatever... it's not like I'm goin' anywhere." Jeff retorted

"Five minutes... I'll call a taxi." Tom left the bedroom, a little dazed from what had just happened there. It was mildly intoxicating to think about what had just happened.

"I'm ready." Jeff sang out. Tom snapped back to reality.

"Cool." Tom replied

"Did you calla cab?" Jeff answered, his drawl sounding so damn sexy.

"A cab... oh no, not yet." Tom answered

"Shouldn'tcha better?" Jeff asked

"Yeah, I guess." While he got transportation, Tom drunk in the sight of Jeff leaning against the banister. He looked so perfect, his hair framing his Adonis-like face like a rainbow, his tattooed torso, now barely covered by the tightest of muscle shirts... it was almost too much for anyone.

"Tom, are you okay?" Jeff asked

Tom realized that he had spaced out again.

"Yeah, bro, cab's on the way... I'm just thinkin'." Tom put his phone away.

"Thinkin' 'bout what?" Jeff asked

"What just happened." Tom answered "I'm not sure if I should be regretting it or not. I mean, I've just played into the prototypical Southern stereotype not to mention thrown away my sexual identity."

"I don't regret what happened." Jeff answered "I think we both know where we stand with this."

"But how the hell do we explain it?" Tom asked

"We don't, dude." Jeff replied "I go on playing the devastated boyfriend and you play the comforting brother."

"Hmmm. Works for me."

Three loud honks from the driveway alerted them that the cab had arrived.

"What about Matt, though. Can we really keep this a secret from even him?" Tom asked, throwing both his and Jeff's bag into the trunk.

"Tommy, I love Matty to death, but I don't think it's a good idea to involve him in our sex life." Jeff replied

"Yeah... I don't think I'm quite ready for a three-way." Tom replied

Jeff laughed loudly. It was good to see him in such better spirits.

Tom went straight to the arena from the airport, leaving Jeff to book a hotel room. He went about the business of getting ready for his IC qualifier later that night with as little fuss as possible. His only qualm was his opponent. He had been scheduled to face the late John Morrison, and no one had bothered to tell him who his opponent was gonna be. A chat with Vince McMahon was in order. Tom tentatively knocked on the door to his office du jour.

"Mr. McMahon?" He asked

"Tom. Come on in. I was just gonna send for you." McMahon pointed to one of the chairs across from his desk.

"Yes sir. I was just wondering who I was going to be facing tonight?" Tom asked

"Well, as you know a lot of the talent is tied up in other story lines. We hope you don't mind working with Kendrick tonight."

"Depends... is he gonna streak again?" Tom smirked

"That was ten years ago." Vince smiled

"And I'm still having nightmares, sir." Tom replied "How can a grown man can have a dick that small?"

"Must've been a cold night." Vince replied "There is one other thing I wanna talk to you about."

"Oh boy." Vince's abrupt tone change startled Tom.

"I know you know what's been going on with Morrison. Matt told me he called you." Vince leaned across the desk.

"Yeah, he did... it's a shame." Tom answered "He may have been an ass, but no one deserved that."

"And Matt told me that he told you about what Jeff did." Vince answered

"Jeff is impetuous, but can you blame him?" Tom replied "I'm not justifying it, but I might have done the same thing."

"If there's one thing I hate is people not honoring their commitments." Vince looked sternly at Tom. "Our fans deserve loyalty from the performers they pay their hard earned money to see."

"Uh, Mr. McMahon, what does this have to do with me?"

"Tom, I need to know that regardless of what happens with this investigation, you're not gonna jump ship." Vince said

"I have no plans to." Tom replied "Do you know something I don't?"

"We're giving you the push. You're getting the title in two weeks, and immediately following that, the whole Legacy thing is over." Vince leaned back in his chair.

"Why can't I stay in Legacy?" Tom asked "I think it's a good fit."

"It doesn't work... your whole reason for joining was jealousy of Matt and Jeff's success. With Jeff gone, and you having gold, there's no angle. We're gonna flip it so that Legacy becomes jealous of your success and kicks you out."

"Okay... how are they playing it?"

"You're gonna face Cody Rhodes in the Semi-finals of the tournament and Randy in the finals... sorta like what we did with Kurt, Rhino, Edge, and Christian in the King of the Ring a few years ago.

"I can live with that." Tom answered "Anything else?"

"I know it's a lot to deal with, but you need to make yourself available sometime in the next day or two for questioning."

"Yeah, Matt gave me a heads-up on that too." Tom said

"I personally don't think you have anything to be worried about... from what I understand, you're way down there on the list of suspects." Vince replied

Tom wondered how much higher up he'd be if anyone knew that less than forty-eight hours later, he gotten into bed with Jeff.

"Whenever they want to talk, I'm ready... the sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned." Tom answered

"Thank-you for your cooperation." Vince replied "I'll let them know."

"Okay... and that is all?" Tom rose from his chair.

"That is. Just remember, spectacular but safe. Give our fans a reason not to hate anyone else with the last name Hardy."

"You got it." Outside the office, Tom suddenly leaned against a wall. "Our fans won't hate me Vince, but I can't guarantee that for everyone."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Just one thing left to clear up... whodunnit!_

_For those of you that wanted it... HARDYCEST!_

_For those of you that didn't want it (me)... oh well, we can't always have everything we want in life!_

_Till we meet again!  
_


	12. My Brother's Keeper

My Brother's Keeper

"Here is your winner and the NEW intercontinental champion... Tom Hardy!" Tom repeated the announcement to himself softly as he skipped down the corridor of his hotel. "I like the sound of that."

He stood in front of his door, trying to find his key card. The sound of Peroxwhy?gen was blasting from the other side.

"Damn Jeff." Tom groaned "No one is supposed to know you're here with me."

Jeff had been traveling incognito with Tom since the breakup with Morrison. So far, they had gone a good job of keeping everyone off the scent, including the investigators, the company, and even Matt. Why Jeff was giving his brother the brush off Tom didn't know. It helped that they were registering everywhere as Andrew and Jeff Baker; no one had made the connection but if Jeff kept playing his music so loud, people might start asking the wrong questions.

Tom stepped into the room and immediately went to the stereo, decreasing the volume fourteen notches. The room was exactly the same as he'd left it, except for the empty pizza boxes, Skittles bags and beer bottles scattered around the room. Oh, and two naked guys sleeping in Jeff's bed.

"Hey, Skittle boy!" Tom called softly.

Jeff mumbled something incoherently.

"Hey, Skittle boy!" Tom said a little louder.

Jeff rolled over, his eyes opening a little. "Wha... Tommy, you're back!" He moved to hug him then realized he was naked. Ashamed, he huddled under the covers tightly.

"Are you gonna introduce me to your friend?" Tom asked, completely straight-faced.

Jeff creased his brow in confusion. Tom jerked his head toward the sleeping male on the other side of the bed. Jeff looked "I dunno what his name is."

"You're sleeping with a guy and you don't know what his name is? That's no way to start a relationship!" Tom asked

"He brought me Skittles." Jeff answered

"Well, unless you want every fan boy in the hotel knowing where we are, I suggest you wake him up and get him the fuck outta here!" Tom dropped his title on his own bed, his plans to show it off completely squashed by Jeff's irresponsibility.

Jeff nodded and elbowed the male to his left.

"Just five more minutes." He moaned. Why does everyone on this planet talk in their sleep?

"Hey, get your ass up!" Tom shouted "Before I dent your skull with my belt!"

This did not have the desired effect, so Tom crossed the bed and yanked the covers off that side. He was rewarded with the sight of a naked muscular young man.

"Fuck, Jeff, if that guy's 18, I'll buy you dinner." Tom muttered "Hey, sleeping beauty... you got a name?"

"Tyler." He replied groggily.

"You have until I count to ten to be out of this bed and getting dressed... one... two... three..."

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" Tyler demanded

"I'm the person setting you straight... four... five..." Tom folded his arms and stared down the young man. "Six."

Tyler locked eyes with Tom. "Seven." He said

"Maybe next time you can get a room without your father." Tyler growled, but got out of the bed and started to dress.

"See you around?" Tyler asked

"Out." Tom pointed at the door. "Next time, I wanna see some ID." He kicked Tyler in the butt out the door. "I guess I have to explain to you the meaning of incognito."

"Yes, Dad." Jeff replied, huddled amongst the blankets.

"And here I was planning to celebrate." Tom tossed the IC belt on the floor. "I guess not."

"We can still celebrate." Jeff responded

"Nah, bro. Interfering in your life has tired me out. I think I'll just go to bed early. Legacy might be by tomorrow to go over our plans for the next week. I dunno if you wanna be here or not." Tom pulled off his shoes and lay down on his bed.

"Why?" The last thing Jeff needed was former coworkers seeing him and asking all sorts of unnecessary questions.

"I'm getting kicked out next week. We wanna run over some promo ideas." Tom replied "And I also wanna jerk off Cody, suck off Ted, and let Randy fuck me. All at the same time."

"Cool." Jeff said

"Okay, Jeffro, what's bothering you?" Tom said

"Nothin', bro. I'm fine." Jeff sighed

"Bullshit, Jeff. I just told you I'm planning on having a foursome with three of the hottest guys in the company and all you can say is 'cool'? Somethin's on your mind." Tom got off his bed and lay down beside Jeff, being careful not to squish Bunny. "And it's not that I just kicked whathisname out."

"I dunno. This whole thing just feels weird." Jeff answered

"What do you mean... work, John, what happened with us... what specifically is troubling you?" Tom asked

"Us. I mean, I don't regret what happened, it's just strange. I let my brother get me off." Jeff rolled over and stared at Tom with confused eyes.

"That was two weeks ago. Do you still think I forced myself upon you?"

"I'm just... I don't know what to think anymore." Jeff returned to his prone position. "You and Matty are the only people I can really talk to and Matt doesn't know about us..."

"And I'm sorta biased." Tom answered, staring at the ceiling.

"Don't hate me Tommy..." Jeff swallowed nervously

"Jeff, I could never hate you." Tom replied "No matter what happens, we're still brothers. No one can take that away from us. Unfortunately, we still have to figure out what we're gonna do about this other mess."

"What other mess?"

"I have my interview tomorrow morning. What do I tell them if they ask me about you?"

"As little as possible?" Jeff suggested

"I was thinking maybe a little something like the truth." Tom answered "Can't make up too much since they've already talked to Matt and Mark."

"What'd they say?" Jeff sat up, his eyes bugging out.

"Couldn't tell ya, bro." Tom answered "I really don't wanna think about that right now... like I said, I wanna celebrate."

"Celebrate??? Why???" Jeff asked

"Don't tell me you didn't see it." Tom picked his title belt off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. "The future is now."

Jeff didn't seem too pleased to see it, considering the last time he'd held it when it was being tossed on Vince McMahon's desk just prior to quitting; a decision Jeff was slowly starting to regret making in such a rash way.

"Aren't ya happy?" Tom demanded

"I guess." Jeff responded

'Well, I guess I can be happy for the both of us." Tom answered "Now I've reserved us a private table downstairs. The manager has assured me that no one will know we're even there."

"At this hour?"

"I slipped him a few bills and he said he'd keep the kitchen open a little later." Tom stated "We're expected in ten minutes."

"I'm not really that hungry." Jeff replied

"So? I'm famished... at least join me in a drink. Furthermore, man cannot live on Skittles and Twinks alone."

"Don't you mean Twinkies?" Jeff asked suspiciously.

"No... I mean that guy you had here earlier. How old was he.. sixteen, seventeen maybe?" Tom clarified

"I didn't ask, man. I just took him." Jeff replied "You're not mad at me, are ya?"

"Did we ever say that what happened was more than a one-shot?" Tom responded "No, I ain't mad at ya. I will be if you don't get your butt out of bed and get dressed. Tell Bunny we're goin' out and if she's good, we'll bring her back something."

Tom walked into the bathroom to quickly run a brush through his hair. It had started to grow out, but was at that length where it needed a lot of gel to keep it from sticking up. He noticed a couple of small marks on his face from where he'd taken two elbows, one from Cody and one from Randy, earlier that evening. Both were starting to show signs of discoloration.

"That'll bruise nicely." He smiled, remembering how he'd actually been cheered after defeating Randy, despite his supposed heel state. Apparently the fans hated the self-proclaimed leader of Legacy so much, they didn't care who defeated him, even if it was one of his own teammates.

"You ready?" Tom heard Jeff call out.

"One second." One last finger-wave and Tom stepped out.

"Wow! You look fuckin' gorgeous." Tom whistled.

"You think so?" Jeff spun around to give him the full effect. Muscle shirt, faded acid-washed jeans, high-tops. The shirt covered enough of the tattoos to give Jeff that rebel sense. He'd let his hair hang loose and it covered his neck and shoulders in blond, red, and blue streaks.

"I don't know where you got off thinking you're not good-looking." Tom answered "But we're not gonna talk about that tonight... we're gonna eat, drink, and have a good time."

"Yeah, bro. Live for the moment." Jeff cheered

"Exactly. You put Bunny to bed?" Tom asked

"She's already asleep."

Tom looked over Jeff's shoulder. The rabbit was curled up on the bed, wrapped securely in Tom's Intercontinental championship belt. Someone had put a piece of tape over the name plate on it and written the word "Bunny" on it in black marker.

"I lost the title already?" Tom faked anguish. "I went through hell tonight to get it! Did they institute the 24-7 rule while I was doing my hair? I have to talk to Vince about this."

"I dunno."

"Memo to self... tell Vince I can't defend title because I lost it to a stuffed rabbit." Tom though aloud. "I can't see the boss going for it. Anyway, let's not talk about work, let's just enjoy tonight while we still can."

It was nearing midnight when Tom and Jeff finally arrived. The Maitre D' greeted them, having kept his word about keeping the restaurant open late.

"This way, please." There were still a few tables in use, but the people finishing their desserts paid no attention to the less-formally dressed pair as they walked to the back booths.

"I thought we were eating alone?" Jeff asked. There were two dark-haired men sitting at the table already, one of them looking really out of place in a shirt and tie.

"I never said that." Tom replied "All I said was we're gonna celebrate. Sorry we're late guys... I had a bit of a mess to clean up before we were ready to go."

"Fine with me, man. Mark 'n I been drinkin'." Matt drawled, already tipsy.

"Yeah, your brother has been really packing it away." Mark pointed to the five empty glasses in front of Matt. Mark was still nursing his first beer.

"Tommy, I don't think..." Jeff protested

"Jeff, sit." Tom ordered, pushing Jeff into the booth, following. "I told you Mark and Matt have already talked to the cops about you-know-who."

"Yeah, bro. I told them I hadn't seen you in almost two weeks. I even shed a tear or two to make them think I missed you." Matt wiped another imaginary tear from his eye.

"Drinks, Sir?"

"Seven and seven." Tom answered

"Dos Equus." Jeff responded

"Very well. I will leave you to discover the menus on your own."

"Who's payin' for all this?" Mark asked, noting some of the prices were in excess of thirty dollars.

"Oh, someone has to pay for this?" Tom asked "I thought Champions got to eat free."

"But you're not a champion anymore." Jeff added

"What?" Mark and Matt exclaimed

"Yeah. Apparently there's a seldom used clause I was unaware of. If the former champion's rabbit falls asleep with the belt wrapped around her, she becomes de facto champion." Tom sniggered

"Yay!" Jeff cheered

"So I guess Cody will fight Bunny next week." Tom answered "Saves me getting a beatdown from Legacy."

"Your drinks, sir! Are you ready to order?"

"Guys?"

All four placed food orders, despite Jeff's earlier claims of not being hungry.

Their steaks arrived very quickly and the four men dove in.

Anything remotely to do with work was avoided during their meal. Instead, they talked about the goings on in their various lives since Jeff had left, few as they were.

"That was excellent." Tom wiped his mouth, catching Matt's eye. "And if it's okay, I'm gonna step out for a quick smoke. If the waiter comes by, charge everything to our room."

"Okay, Tommy." Jeff giggled

"I'll join you, bro." Matt had understood what the eye contact meant.

"Since when do ya smoke Matty?" Jeff asked

"I don't... I'm just gonna grab some air." Matt slurred. In addition to the five drinks he'd had before dinner, he'd polished off three more with.

Outside the hotel, Tom found a secluded alleyway and lit up. Matt leaned against a wall, staring him down.

"What'd you wanna talk to me about that you couldn't say in front of Jeff and Mark?" Matt crossed his arms.

"I didn't want to bring it up while Jeff was around, but I need to know what you've heard about this investigation... I've got my interview tomorrow afternoon." Tom blew a thick smoke ring in the air.

"It looks like someone cut the brake lines." Matt answered "It definitely wasn't suicide?"

"Any suspects?"

"Not many. Mark, Jay, and I all have alibis and since you and Jeff were together as well, the trail is pretty cold." Matt replied, shivering slightly. It was an abnormally cool night and Tom was soon feeling the chill as well. He quickly extinguished his cigarette and the two went back inside where they found Jeff devouring a slab of something chocolate.

"Jeff, what are you doing?" Tom chided him. "You know that'll go straight to your ass."

"So? Not like anyone has to see me. Ever." Jeff speared a thick piece and shoved it in his mouth.

"If it's okay with you, I'm gonna split." Mark interjected "I gotta fly out early. What do I owe ya, Hardy?"

"Don't worry about it, 'Taker." Tom answered "We can settle up next time I see ya."

"Yeah, I gotta go too." Matt also rose from his chair, a little unsteadily. "Would you at least keep in touch with me, Jeffro?"

"MM-hm." Jeff mumbled around a mouthful of cake.

"Take care of Jeffro for me." Matt was still a little unhappy at losing his cherished role of Jeff's protector, but he prayed that Tom was gonna look out for him just as well as he had.

"Don't worry Matt. Jeff is in good hands. I'll see you at the show on Friday, won't I?"

"Actually, I'm taking a week off. I have to go back to Cameron to meet with the lawyers regarding Dad's estate. I wish he hadn't named me executor." Matt stumbled a little as he left, but nonetheless made it outside.

"I hope he ain't driving." Tom watched him go.

"I dunno." Matt licked the last few crumbs from his plate.

"Lemme check. I'll be right back." Tom sprinted after Matt, but he had already gone by the time Tom reached the entrance.

"Damn!" He cursed

"Looking for someone, sir?" The doorman asked with a tip of his hat.

"Did you see a dark-haired man just leave?" Tom asked

"Yes sir. I called a taxi for him. He seemed to be in no condition to drive."

"Did he?"

"Taxi... yes sir. There was one already waiting."

"Thanks." Tom slipped him a twenty. "Have a good evening."

"And to you too, sir."

Tom returned to the table. Jeff was draining the last drops from his beer.

"I'm gonna got back to the room." Tom said "Maybe try to get some sleep. I got a busy day tomorrow. That meeting with Legacy, then the cops."

"I'll catch up with you later." Jeff said "I'm gonna hit a club, I think."

This surprised Tom. Since he'd turned up on his doorstep, Jeff's idea of going out was leaving the bedroom for the toilet and vice-versa.

"Whatever, dude." Tom tried not to sound as shocked as Jeff's pronouncement had made him. "Don't be too loud when you come back."

"Cool, bro. Thanks for dinner." Jeff stood up for his post-meal hug.

"Then I will see you later." Tom emphasized the 'will'. "Have fun and don't bring home any more underage ring rats."

"Mr. Baker. A message for you." The desk clerk handed Tom a sealed envelope as he passed registration.

"Thanks... do you know who it's from?" Tom questioned, unaccustomed to receiving mail while on the road.

"It was the dark-haired gentleman you were having dinner with." He answered

"Which one? The tall one with the tattoos or the short one?"

"The shorter one."

"Okay, thanks." Tom wondered what Matt could possibly have to say that he couldn't while they were out having a smoke. He waited until he was in his room before opening. It was it Matt's handwriting, but the words didn't sound like anything Matt would say.

"Tom, I know you're probably wondering why I couldn't say this in front of Mark and Jeff. My reasons should be obvious. I know what's going on between you and my little brother..."

Matt was still uncomfortable with Tom being in the family apparently. That's why the reference to 'my little brother' was clearly underlined.

"You must think I'm really stupid to not have figured it out. John is out of the picture and all of the sudden you and Jeff are inseparable. I'm not saying you had anything to do with it..."

"Sure sounds like it to me." Tom said under his breath. He continued to read.

"...but it's way too much of a coincidence. I'm not gonna say anything about it, it's not my business to. But if you hurt Jeff even the slightest, what happened to Morrison is gonna seem tame compared to what will happen to you."

"That's low, Matt. That's really fuckin' low." Tom crumpled up the paper and was in the process of tossing it in the wastebasket when Jeff suddenly returned to the room.

"I thought you were goin' out." Tom quickly recovered from his shock.

"Just grabbin' my key card." Jeff replied "What's that?"

"Oh, this... nothing really. Just a love note from a fan." Tom replied

"Awesome." Before Tom could do anything about it, Jeff grabbed the note. He read it quickly, worry lines creasing his brow before he was finished.

"Jeff, give that back to me." Tom ordered

"But if you hurt Jeff even the slightest, what happened to Morrison is gonna seem tame compared to what will happen to you." Jeff repeated "What the fuck? Some love note."

"Jeff, do you always read things that aren't addressed to you?" Tom snatched the paper back, scrunching it back into a ball.

"Why, Tommy?" Jeff's face was also scrunching up. "Why would Matty do something like this?"

"Jeffro, I don't know. I think Matt is just jealous of how close we have become recently. He probably just wants the best for his baby brother." Tom answered

"Yeah. Imma gonna find him and tell him what I think."

"Jeff, don't worry about it." Tom grabbed his arm. "I don't think our brother is that stupid to write me a threatening note and then do ahead and do something., is he?"

Jeff shrugged.

"Anyway, I know where he's gonna be. If I have to, I'll fly back to Cameron on one of my off days and confront him. I owe him a coupla punches anyhow." Tom said, a determined look on his face. "Are you still goin' out?"

"I dunno now. Maybe I'll just stay here."

"Whatever. I'm goin' to bed." Tom said "Could you ask Bunny if I can have my title back?"

Jeff went over and whispered in the stuffed Rabbit's ear. "Really?" He said

"Really what?" Tom repeated

"She said you'll have to beat her for it." Jeff answered

"Tell Bunny she's on." Tom jumped on the bed and held Bunny down. "One... two... three." He counted, removing the belt from around her slender waist.

"No fair... you're not a referee." Jeff protested

"I don't recall there being one when I lost the title, so what difference does it make?" Tom cocked an eyebrow at Jeff, who stood chewing on his lower lip, a sign he was thinking hard about it.

"I didn't think so. I'll see you in the morning." Tom kissed Jeff softly on the cheek and climbed into bed. He was soundly sleeping in mere moments. When Jeff climbed into his own bed, sleep didn't come nearly as quickly. The words from Matt's note rang in his ears.

"Why, Matty?" Jeff whispered softly, his eyes getting wet. He snuggled with Bunny so he wouldn't wake up the man in the bed next to him. He cried himself to sleep, wondering what he could've done to make his brother hate him like this.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_"Foul play is suspected in the death of John Hennigan, also known as WWE superstar John Morrison..." This line and many others in the next chapter of "Blood Brothers By Choice"._

_Sorry for the delay, but my own brother has been monopolizing my time._


	13. A Face Only a Brother Could Love

A Face Only A Brother Could Love

What had started out as a pleasant night to relax for Jeff and Tom had turned into a mess when Matt had stormed into their hotel room. Tom had tried to reason with him, but Matt was like a demon possessed. Talking soon lead to louder talking, which soon became shouting, and a fist fight soon broke out. This time things didn't go so well for Tom. Matt had some really good adrenaline reserves because Tom was getting the shit beat out of him something good. It was all that he could do to defend himself, much less get any sort of offense going.

Things got even worse when Tom got thrown into the bar cabinet. Wood and glass alike shattered under Tom's two hundred sixty plus pounds. An eye-watering stench of alcohol pervade the room.

"You see, brother of mine, this time you won't be able to talk your way out of this." Matt spat, ribbons of foam flying from his lips. Tom was dazed, the only part of him that wasn't cut up was probably the soles of his feet.

"Matty, what are you doing?" Jeff pleaded. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Shut up, Jeff. I'm sick and tired of people taking advantage of you, family or not." Matt pulled something shiny out of his pocket and pointed it at Tom. It was a small caliber pistol, the kind you might use for self-protection.

"Matty, don't." Jeff whined

"I'm sorry, Jeff, but it's for the best. For all of us." As Jeff looked on, Matt calmly fired four shots at Tom, all of them hitting their target.

"Tommy!" Not caring at that moment how many bullets were left or even if Matt wanted to use them on him, Jeff vaulted over the bed to his fallen brother.

"Matty, why?" He cried loudly. Tom was dead where he lay.

"Sorry, Jeff. I couldn't stand to see you hurt any more." Matt looked at Jeff. "There are two shots left in the clip. I'll let you decide what to do with the last one." Jeff was unsure what Matt meant by that until he saw his other brother put the gun in his own mouth and calmly pull the trigger.

"Matty!" Jeff screamed again... sitting upright in bed.

He looked over at the other bed... Tom was still sleeping soundly. Much like he'd done whenever he got scared as a child, Jeff grabbed his Bunny and sought out the comfort of his older brother. Same shit, different brother, but Jeff hoped that Tom was as good at this as Matt had been.

Jeff stared at Tom, wondering if just shoving him would work. It always worked when he needed Matt.

"Jeff, it's three o'clock in the morning, what are you doing up?" Tom's voice broke Jeff from his confusion.

"Tommy, can I sleep with you? I had a nightmare." Jeff said nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Jeff, you're a big boy... you don't need me for that." Tom rolled over.

"Okay." Jeff took two steps toward his own bed then the tears started flowing again. He sniffled loudly.

"Jeff, was it that bad?" Tom said, his eyes still closed.

"Mm-hm." Jeff looked at the almost covered form, his lip trembling.

"Alright, but just this once." Tom turned back around and flung the blankets open. Jeff crawled in, Bunny dragging behind.

"Must've been one doozy of a dream." Tom yawned noisily. "Sorry, I'm not used to be awakened like this. Wanna tell me about it?"

Jeff nodded. He didn't remember a whole lot about the dream, but what he did recall had scared the shit outta him. As he talked, he felt a lot better, though Tom could see how shaken his younger brother really was.

"Jeffro, you know that Matt would never do a thing like that." Tom said softly. "He may have a funny way of showing it sometimes, but he still loves you. He's just a little worried that I'm gonna hurt you."

"Are you?" Jeff whimpered

"Of course not. Why would you even think that?" Tom tucked a strand of hair behind Jeff's ear and looked at him lovingly.

"I dunno." Jeff answered "You've always been..." His voice disintegrated into sobs.

"Shhh..." Tom gathered Jeff into his arms and rocked him softly, singing quietly to calm his nerves.

The time has come and gone for words

A thousand threats I've heard before

When words are cheap and lies are faint to me

Time has come and gone for words

A thousands threats I've heard before

And all your words are too big to take

Jeff snuggled tightly into Tom's warm arms.

"Sleep sweet Jeffro. I promise you everything will work out." Tom whispered, placing a soft kiss on Jeff's cheek. Jeff pressed tighter against Tom, now completely engulfed in his frame.

Having the young blond in his arms like that split Tom down the middle. On one hand, he'd do anything to protect Jeff, but on the other, should he be getting involved in this at all? He still didn't know what Jeff wanted from him... friendship, a physical relationship, or something else. With Matt now breathing down his back, Tom was afraid that one wrong move and he'd end up up to his neck in it.

"I'll talk to Matt tomorrow." Tom thought, drifting into that middle ground between sleep and awake. It seemed like he'd lust closed his eyes before the buzzing of the alarm woke him up.

"Fuck." Tom glared at the alarm clock. "Time to get up, Sleeping beauty."

Jeff rolled over, eyes glazed. "Mmm... wanna sleep!"

"You can sleep. I gotta get some feeling back in my arm." It had gone completely numb during the night from being trapped underneath Jeff's body. "Can you move please?"

Jeff rolled over, on top of Tom instead of the other way.

"Other way." Tom gasped

"Mmm. I like it here... so warm." Jeff nestled into Tom's comforting bulk.

"Jeff, we really need to talk about this sometime."

"How about now?" Jeff moaned into Tom's chest, running his fingers through Tom's hair.

"Okay. Where do we go from here?" Tom asked "We haven't talked about that one night since and I need to know what you want from me. Are we going to try to go back to being just brothers, knowing that we both made a huge mistake or do you want more?"

Jeff folded his arms, propping himself up. He looked right at Tom, his red eyes blinking the last remnants of sleep away.

"What do you want?" He asked

"There's the problem. I don't know." Tom stated "When I first accepted these feelings, I thought it would be real easy just to put them aside. Like you said, incest is bad... but when you let me, y'know, take you to heaven, that only confused me further."

"Why don't we just take it one day at a time, bro." Jeff sighed "I don't want to end up drivin' you away 'coz I forced you to make a choice."

"That's what I was thinking." Tom replied, rolling over, pinning Jeff to the bed. "But then I also thought that I want you. And I'm gonna have you." He kissed Jeff hard, their lips mashing together.

"MMM..." Jeff moaned around Tom's kiss. This was wrong, and Jeff knew it, but it also felt so right in some ways. He could understand it, and didn't think he ever would.

"Jeff, you taste like candy." Tom licked his lips. "You been eating Skittles again?"

"My fave." Jeff smiled

"Me too." Tom went back to the kissing thing, going from Jeff's mouth to his smooth neck and shoulder, leaving little nips everywhere. "I'm gonna eat you alive, you're so sweet."

Jeff just relaxed, letting Tom's lips, teeth, and tongue chase all his troubles away.

Tom's mouth traced over the inked patterns on Jeff's shoulder, gently outlining each one down to his wrist and back up. Jeff was responding to each gentle lick with moans and heaving breaths of his own. It was took all Tom's patience not to scrap the foreplay, rip off Jeff's pajama pants, and take his manhood every way possible right then.

"You see, Matt may think he has your best interests at heart, but I have them in my hand." Tom cupped Jeff's swollen member in his hand, rubbing it ever-so-softly with his thumb through the thin material.

Jeff's back arched and Tom took this a hint. Pulling off the covering, Tom scooted down until he was on eye level with the hard shaft.

Tom seductively licked his own lips, looking at Jeff who was staring down in anticipation, and traced across the bumpy surface of Jeff's nut sack. Feeling the contents move around, Tom sucked first one and then the other into his mouth. Continuing his downward travels, he found that one area that always drove him crazy when it was being licked and flicked his tongue across it several times, hoping for a similar reaction. Jeff didn't disappoint, his moans increasing in volume and pitch with each passing swipe.

"Tommy, wait... I can't stop..." Jeff was muttering incoherently, sounding almost like Itchweeed with his ramblings.

"Neither can I." Tom replied, taking one long lick, across his balls and up his pulsing shaft right to the leaking tip.

"Fuck!" Jeff squealed, grabbing Tom's head and holding it in place as he started to fuck his face like a crazy man. At this point, Tom had two options, try to pull away and regain control of the situation and go along for the ride and hope Jeff had enough sense to warn him before he came.

He tried option a, but Jeff's iron grip wouldn't be broken for love nor money. Option b wasn't very viable either, since Tom couldn't even ask the question with Jeff's sizable girth stuffed in his gullet. Anyway, neither option would've worked out since Jeff lost it a short time later, filling Tom's mouth with his seed.

"Hmmm." Tom thought "What to do? Spit or swallow?"

Since there was nothing around to spit into, Tom took a deep nasal breath and gulped down the thick fluid, gagging slightly at the strong aftertaste.

He quickly ran into the bathroom and gargled. "I am never doing that again." He informed himself. "Next time, just spit it back on him."

Jeff was still in the same position when Tom returned.

"Sorry," he apologized "my first time."

"Me too." Jeff replied "I shoulda warned ya."

"This relationship is gonna need some work." Tom grabbed a towel and headed back to the shower. "I'll be back."

Jeff relaxed in the bed, feeling a little weird, like he usually did after sex. This time, a lot more. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He was so sure that the previous occasion was a one-time thing, but now... this?

"Bunny, I wish you could talk." He stared into his rabbit's artificial eyes. "Maybe you could tell me what to do."

But Bunny couldn't give advice. Alas, she was only a cuddle-toy.

Jeff must've stared at her for longer than he'd planned since he was snapped back to the world of the living by Tom's voice asking him if he'd had any plans for that day.

"Dunno." He answered "We still got the room right?"

"One more night." Tom replied, choosing his street clothes for the day. It was so easy for him to pick out something to wear as opposed to Jeff who needed longer to dress than most supermodels."You know where I'll be if you need me."

"The arena." Jeff confirmed

"Yeah. I gotta meet Randy, Cody, and Ted, then I gotta talk to those police, then I got a meeting with M... my accountant." Tom almost let slip his other plans. Jeff didn't need to know that he was planning to confront Matt about the note he'd left the previous night. "When I get back we'll grab something to eat if you want."

"Okay." Jeff agreed, still looking for answers deep in Bunny's eyes. Nadda.

Seeing that Jeff was preoccupied, and having a real good idea about what, Tom quietly exited the room.

"Thank-you for taking the time out to meet with us..."

Tom looked around the small room, nervously wondering if he should've brought his lawyer with him to this interview.

"Just a few routine questions, if you don't mind." It was three against one and Tom, the one, wasn't liking the odds one little bit.

"Sure, but there's probably nothing I can tell you that you haven't heard already." Tom replied

"True. Mostly just for confirmation, but there is one or two matters we'd like to clear up."

"And what might that be?" Tom wondered

"What is your relationship with Jeff Hardy?"

"We're brothers." Tom answered "As I'm sure you've been told by others."

"Nothing more to it than that... some of the people we've talked to seem to think there might be something, um, incestuous about your relationship."

"And you believe that?" Tom laughed nervously. "If that's what's being said, I'd like some names so I can talk to them."

"So there is nothing out of the ordinary about you and Jeff."

"Absolutely nothing." Tom always thought of himself as a convincing liar, and hoped he could pass it off on these guys.

"But you did set up the original meeting with him and the late John Hennigan?"

"That I'll cop to. I overheard Morrison, I mean Hennigan, making plans for after a show and I figured it would be a perfect opportunity for the two of them to hook up." Tom responded "I really thought they'd stay together forever."

"In your opinion, what caused their relationship to falter?" Considering this cop had said there were only "one or two" matters he wanted clearing up, he sure had a lot of questions.

"I wasn't privy to the events, but I understood that Morrison was caught doing another wrestler..."

"That would be Jay Reso, aka Christian?"

"I guess so. Like I said I wasn't there." Tom answered, a few pieces of the puzzle clicking together in his own mind. "How much longer is this gonna take?"

"Actually, Mr. Hardy, that was my last question."

"Good. I have a show to get ready for."

"If we have any further questions, we'll let you know."

Tom walked out the door, exhaling loudly. "If that's their whole approach to this thing, whoever killed Morrison has nothing to worry about."

"I don't trust him one bit. There's something he's not telling us." The investigator who'd been asking all the questions said to his two accomplices. "Keep an eye on him."

"You think he's involved, Chief?"

"I'm sure he is. But just how deep, I don't know."

The Legacy spot opened that evening's show. The quartet entered to a chorus of boos and catcalls. They soaked it in, enjoying the reaction. Well, three of them did. Tom was still a little wary about what had happened earlier. To make it worse, two of the cops were still hanging around the arena making the conversation he'd wanted to have with Matt impossible. They wouldn't leave him alone, even to go to the can.

"Tonight, the Legacy continues it's dominance of the WWE!" Randy shouted "But before we do, there's one or two things I'd like to address. Firstly, Cody. You didn't get the job done last night. It was a simple task, really. All you had to do was make sure that I had an easy time in my final match..."

"Just a damn minute, Orton. What are you saying? That you sent Cody to cripple me! All so you could have this." Suddenly the weight on Tom's shoulder seemed twice as heavy.

"That's not what I'm saying..."

"Then spell it out for me, 'cause that's sure what it sounded like." Tom yelled

"Tom, you're new to the team, so I will. I run Legacy. I call the shots. No one here, not Cody, not Ted, and certainly not you, does anything without clearing it with me. Is that understood? That goes for each and every one of you!"

Cody and Ted nodded meekly, any traces of backbone gone.

"Well, Hardy, what do you have to say?"

"Randy, I can't believe how stupid I was." Tom slapped his forehead. "Here I thought Legacy was a collection of the greatest up and coming stars in the WWE when it's really just a way for you to get titles. How dumb am I? Thank-you for explaining it to me. I'm sorry. I understand now."

"You're forgiven. This time." Randy put his hand on Tom's shoulder like a father correcting his wayward son. "But there is still the matter of the Intercontinental Title."

"It looks good on me, doesn't it?" Tom smiled

"For now, yes. But tonight, you're gonna defend that title against the rightful champion... me!" Randy abruptly turned cold.

"Uh Randy, if you think you're the rightful champion, then you're even more deluded than I thought." Tom answered "You have no more claim to this title than that guy sitting in the fifth row." He pointed to a random fan, holding a sign proclaiming Legacy's penchant for sucking... and not in a good way.

Randy's face contorted into a grimace. "Listen to me, Hardy..."

"Nah, I'm through listening to you. I threw away my own damn family for this team! I worked my ass off for this title and if you think I'm gonna job for you again, then you can go screw!" Tom dropped the title belt to the mat, standing eyeball to eyeball with Orton, though he was by far the bigger man..

"If you don't turn that belt over to me, I'll..."

"You'll what?" Tom interrupted, grabbing Randy by his t-shirt. "What?" He started to shake the Legend-Killer violently. A little too violently perhaps. Randy and Tom's head suddenly came together with a loud crash, stunning them both. Tom felt something warm trickle down his scalp. He put his hand up and it came back red.

"Cody, Ted, get him." The blood, as well as the head banging, was unintentional, but they went with it. Legacy started to beat Tom, who conveniently allowed himself to get RKO'ed early on. Something didn't feel right though. Maybe it was the blow he'd taken to the head, but Tom felt himself starting to lose consciousness.

He barely registered the kicks to the ribs he was taking. Already his vision was starting to swim and he rolled to his back, hoping that at least one of his attackers would realize something was wrong.

"Hardy, consider this a warning. The next time you decide not to get with the program, remember this." Randy got down and started punching Tom's head. It was not to do more damage, but to make sure Tom was okay. He'd seen that Tom wasn't even covering up when Legacy was attacking and had wondered if their accidental head butt might be the reason.

"Tom?" He whispered, through what looked like serious heat. "You okay?"

It didn't take a genius (or The Genius) to soon figure out that the only thing keeping Tom up was Randy. Cody and Ted read their leader's confusion perfectly and pulled him off.

"Enough, Randy, you've made your point. He won't cross us again!" Cody yelled

Legacy left the ring as referees and trainers started to fill it up. The nasty scalp wound had bled all down Tom's face and onto the mat. He was helped from the ring, only the combined efforts of two referees keeping him from having to be carried to the back. He was immediately dropped onto a table in the trainer's room and attended to.

"Is Matt still here?"

"I think so." Randy replied. Feeling a little guilty for what had happened, he'd tagged behind the medical personnel.

"Can you get him?"

"Sure." Randy ran back to the locker room, looking for the other Hardy. He ran into Matt, who was running the other way.

"What the hell happened?" Matt demanded, grabbing Randy.

"Tom's with the trainers now. They wanna see you." What had happened was a mystery to Randy, but he had a good guess and it went back to the shot he'd taken back in England.

Matt took off, leaving a very confused and hurt Randy alone. From Matt's reaction, it was certain that he was blaming Randy, but it wasn't his fault. If anything, Tom should take the rap, it was his adrenaline that caused this whole mess.

Matt barged in just as Tom's small scalp wound was being dressed. Thankfully, this time they didn't have to shave any of his hair to close it. Tom was just starting to like the way his hair had grown back.

"How bad is it, Doc?" Matt asked

"It looks like a low-grade concussion." The doctor responded "He'll have a headache for a while, but it's not serious. It seems to have affected his optic nerves though. He's responding to light, but nothing else... Again, don't worry..." The doc read Matt's unspoken question. "temporary blindness does sometimes occur, even in milder cases like this one."

"Whew." Matt replied "Can I see him?"

"Sure."

Tom looked alright; there were only a few traces of blood on his cheeks and chin.

"Hey, bro. It's me." Matt said "How are you..." He was suddenly engulfed in Tom's arms and being pulled in for a kiss.

Matt went along with him, maybe Tom was just happy to see him until it became obvious that the kiss was a little too strong to be simple affection.

"Tom, I..." Matt broke Tom's sex-strong grip and stepped back. In that split second, everything became crystal to him. He understood why Tom had grabbed him the way he did. The question was, what was he going to do about it?

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the ring..._

_So Matt has if figured out (sorta)... we're heading for a huge confrontation... hopefully no gun play this time!_


	14. Brother, May I?

Brother, may I?

Tom lay on the table, only half-listening to what the trainer was telling him. Matt had just stormed out of the room, leaving Tom in a very confused state.

"Doc, what the hell just happened?" Tom asked

"I dunno. You and Matt were hugging..."

"Matt? Oh, fuck!" Tom realized he'd just made a fatal error. In his dazed and blinded state, he'd mistaken the brother with whom he was in love with the brother who didn't even know the extent of their union. "Which way did he go?"

"Back toward his locker room, I think. His segment was next."

"Thanks, doc. I gotta find him." Tom jumped off the table and immediately regretted it. His faint-headedness returned, forcing him to grab the nearest thing handy: Randy, who had witnessed the entire situation, but was nice enough not to say anything stupid. He didn't know what was going on, and it was none of his business. He just felt a little bad about what had happened in the ring, albeit an accident.

"Whoa, man. Take it easy." Randy half-walked, half-dragged Tom over to a row of chairs and dropped him into one, taking the nearest one for himself.

Tom slouched down, staring at the lights. "What the fuck did I just do? Honestly, did it look like I was trying to make out with Matt?"

"Look, I dunno how you Southern boys were raised, but it seemed a little too... friendly." Randy tried to find the right word.

"For one thing, I was raised in L.A. and two, I thought it was someone else, okay." Tom retorted

"Whoever you thought it was, Matt was sure surprised." Randy answered, trying to make the connection. Matt had only said a few words to Tom before he was molested.

"Fuck." Tom put his head in his hands. "This is all so fucked up."

"Dude, you weren't yourself. Even Matt should understand." Randy replied

"Would you? Put yourself in Matt's shoes... what if your brother started something like that?"

"I'd probably RKO the crap out of him, concussion or not." Randy answered

"I was hoping for a bit more understanding from you." Tom rubbed his temples aggressively. "Considering this is all your fault."

"My fault!" Randy answered "What'd I do? You head-butted me!"

"If you weren't so thick-headed..."

"Fuck you, Hardy." Randy answered, knowing that Tom wasn't really angry at him, it was just his way of dealing with the pain and confusion that was running crazily through his mind.

"Can you let me know when Matt is done his in-ring. I really gotta talk to him now." Tom sighed. Things had gone from mildly irritating to full-blown awkwardness in a matter of hours.

"Yeah, I gotta go interrupt anyway. I think Matt is rewriting the script as we speak..."

Matt was in the ring, hyping up the crowd for his future title match against Orton. Those annoying return clauses in their contracts.

"Randy, I saw what you did to my brother out here earlier and don't think I won't forget it..." Nor could Matt take his mind off what had happened backstage, either. "We may not have been on the same page for a while, and I won't even bother trying to understand why he wanted to join you idiots in the first place, but no one messes with family and gets away with it!"

Matt almost added "Unless it's me!", but bit his tongue just in time.

Randy's music interrupted. He stood on the stage, alone, and looking more than a little confused.

"First of all, I don't see where it is any business of yours how I handle what goes on in Legacy. The only business with you involves that title that you stole from me..."

"Isn't it amazing how every time you lose a title, or can't win one, it's 'stolen' from you." Matt interjected "It must be fun living in your Legacy-land sometimes. I don't know how they put up with you."

"They put up with me because I tell them to!"

"Yeah, we know what happens to them if they don't... they get carried out of here." Matt yelled, channeling some of his aggression into his mic work.

"Matt, that doesn't concern you..." Randy said "The only thing you have to worry about is the beating I'm gonna give you in that ring."

"Damn straight it concerns me!"

"Matt, it doesn't." Mic in hand, Tom slowly walked onto the ramp. "Let me handle this, Randy. You've done enough damage."

While Randy looked on, Tom slowly walked to ring, having to stop halfway to gather himself. He was still concussed and getting his bearings was difficult at times.

Just climbing the stairs to the ring almost made him black out.

"Matt, I know you care about me, about our family, but can you just drop the overprotective brother routine for once. I can take care of myself; what happened here earlier was a miscalculation." Tom was breathing heavily from the effort to talk and not pass out.

"A miscalculation?" Matt repeated "Like kissing me in the back... was that another miscalculation?"

Tom smirked. So that's where this promo was gonna go. If that was the case, Tom was fine with it.

"You've had concussions... c'mon, you know I was outta my skull." Tom answered "You brought it on."

"Me? How? All I said was hey, bro..." Suddenly, the last few pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "You thought I was Jeff, didn't you?"

"What?" This time Tom's lie wasn't as convincing as he'd hoped. As an afterthought, he wondered what those snooping policemen were thinking, hearing this. "Matt, you're even more sick than I thought."

"I'm the sick one? Tom, you've been in our lives for less than three months. You conveniently hook up Jeff with Morrison and then when things go wrong, who does he run to... not me! Not the brother who's been beside him for all of his life, but you! You caused all his pain and instead of turning you away, he quits the company and runs right into your arms."

"At least I'm not the one who cut the brake cables on Morrison's car." Tom shouted back. If Matt wanted to make this a worked shoot, Tom was quite willing to go along with it.

"Dude, I was nowhere near his car."

"Since we're so quick to be passing blame here, let's look at it from my perspective. All your life you've been the one Jeff runs to and now you're out of the picture. You couldn't handle it so you set the whole thing up. You just needed a spark. When you found out that Jeff and Morrison were falling apart, you thought it was the perfect opportunity to get back on Jeff's good side. It was all you Matt, and now you're trying to start something with me! It's not gonna work! If I have to take you out myself, I will, but you are not gonna hurt me or Jeff or anyone else with your slanderous lies!"

Tom carefully descended the steps, leaving an open-mouthed Matt in the ring.

"If it makes you feel any better Matt, think of it this way... as you so nicely pointed out, up 'til three months ago I wasn't in your life... well consider me out of it again effective immediately!"

Tom barely made it backstage before he collapsed into a chair. The effort he'd put into that promo had left him completely drained. Sitting with his head between his legs, trying hard not to throw up, he heard footsteps approach. Not having the strength to look up, he only did when it was three pairs of dress shoes that stopped in front of him.

"Not now." He groaned

"Tom Hardy, you're coming with us."

"Get a warrant." Tom said, wondering if he could be arrested for throwing up on a cop's shoes.

"Already got one. Do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"Whatever." Tom could've cared less at that particular moment. He did get one moment of satisfaction when he did upchuck on their shoes shortly after standing up.

Tom was taken downtown. Unknown to him, Matt had received the same welcoming when he left the ring. Shoved into separate rooms, they stewed. Matt took to cursing, and throwing the furniture around while Tom put his head down on the desk and was soon asleep.

"What's the plan Chief..."

"You heard what those two said... it sure sounded like a confession to me."

"But, sir, wasn't that part of the show?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's up to us to find out."

"It's gonna be tough. I don't think either of them will finger the other. After all, they are family..."

"Family, huh?" That word gave the boss an idea. "There's another Hardy, isn't there?"

"Yeah, Jeffrey... he's the youngest."

"And he had an argument with the deceased just prior to his death, right?"

"I gotcha, Chief... we just tell them that we'll bring Jeff in as well if they don't talk."

"I want this case closed by tonight."

"Yes, sir."

Tom was rudely awakened by the sound of papers hitting the table's surface an inch from his left ear.

"Fuck off." He moaned "I've got a headache."

"I'm Detective Miller... my partner, Detective Jacobs..."

"What part of fuck off didn't you two understand?" Tom repeated

"We're gonna ask the questions and you're gonna answer them. You haven't been straight with us since the beginning and we're giving you a chance to clear your name before we send this to the District Attorney." Miller said

"Considering my mind is so fried right now I don't even remember what I said to Matt in the ring, you can either get me a lawyer or cut me loose, I don't care which."

"Get him a lawyer, Jacobs. While you're at it, bring in Jeffrey Hardy for questioning."

If they expected some sort of reaction, they were sorely disappointed. After asking for his lawyer, Tom had fallen back asleep.

"We're not getting anything here. How are Green and Black doing?"

"I dunno. I'll call legal aid and have uniform bring in the other Hardy Boy... Coffee?"

"Thanks... this is gonna be a tough one."

"I told you everything I know!" Matt shouted

"Okay, let's just go over it one more time." Green looked at Black, who shrugged. All three were standing, Matt having destroyed all the chairs as well as the table in the interview room while he was waiting. "We're just having a hard time understanding this."

"How hard can it be... I didn't kill Morrison! What Tom said was part of the fuckin' show!"

"Not according to the run sheet." Black waved what might have a copy of the run sheet or page ripped out of the phone book for all Matt knew at him.

"We are allowed to improvise with our promos." Matt retorted "You guys should really stop jerkin' me around like this..."

"Listen, Hardy." Green pushed Matt against a wall, his face inches from Matt's. "You've been jerkin' me and my partner around, not the other way around. So unless you want to tell us exactly what we want to know, we'll just have to do things the hard way. We can always drag Jeffrey in here and see what he has to say."

"Back off, Green." Black spun his partner away. "Take five."

"I'm not gonna stand here and let this guy lie to me." Green answered "Mr-big-shot-WWE-champion."

"Get some coffee, Green." Black pushed his partner out of the room. "Rookies. I always get the hot-headed ones."

"Matthew, I'm gonna be honest with you. Right now, you and Tom are top two on our list of suspects. What I'm thinking is that maybe you didn't plan to kill him, just scare him away."

"No." Matt answered

"No? But isn't that what brothers do? Protect each other? Jeffrey's what... three years younger than you, right?"

"Yeah." Matt agreed

"And since your father died, it has been just the two of you pretty much. I mean, you found out you had another brother, but you still see yourself as Jeffrey's rock. There's nothing you wouldn't do for him, right?"

"I didn't kill Morrison, if that's what you mean!" Matt responded angrily.

"I'm not saying you did..."

"They why the fuck am I here?"

"You wanna see justice done, right? You believe in right and wrong... do you think that whoever did this should go unpunished?... Then help us Matt... help us find out who did this.."

"Well, what have we got?" The Assistant District Attorney was standing behind the one-way mirror in the room where Matt was being held.

"Not much." Jacobs answered "Tom lawyered up and we can't find Jeffrey. Someone must've tipped him off."

"What's your take on Matt?"

"Honestly, I don't think he did it. It just doesn't make sense. Underneath all the surface, Matt really loves Jeff and just wants to see him happy."

"And what is that based upon... women's intuition?"

"Just call it a hunch. I would suggest cutting them loose for tonight. We've got nothing to hold them on and maybe one of them will make a mistake." Jacobs answered

"Let 'em go." ADA Schiff sighed. This case was gonna be a long one.

Jeff had been watching movies all day, eating candy, and generally enjoying himself when his phone rang.

"Enigma." He answered, expecting it to be Tom.

"Hey, kid... Orton."

"Randy? Whaddaya want? And how did you find me?" Jeff said

"Just relax. I'm in a storage room at the arena."

"Oooh... what're you and Cody doing?" Jeff squeaked

"Nothing." Randy answered "Why does everyone think I'm gay?"

"Well, you have those girly hips, and a small..."

"Never mind." Randy cut in. "I'm just calling to warn you that the shit's hit the fan really hard..." Randy reiterated the events of earlier that night, concluding with Tom and Matt's detention. "... and I would suggest you find another room to stay tonight just in case. Shit, I gotta go."

"Byeeee." Jeff sang

Randy set the phone down beside him. "Now where were we?" He asked, taking a naked Cody Rhodes into his arms.

"You were just about to punish me for messing up my match." Cody sighed

"Yes, I was." Randy smiled... and people thought he was gay? Ridiculous!

Around the same time the decision was being made to let both Tom and Matt go, Jeff was sprawled across a bed in the room belonging to Jack Swagger. He was the first superstar Jeff had been able to reach and he'd quickly agreed to sharing his quarters. He'd neglected to tell Jeff that he was sleeping in a single, not that Jeff planned to stay the night. Hopefully, he'd get some good news before he needed to sleep.

"Thankya, Jack... I really hate to be a pest." Jeff answered

"No problem. I actually like having the company." Jack said"Any more popcorn?"

"Uh, no. Skittle?" Jeff was usually wary of handing out his favorite snack, but since he was getting a room out of it, he broke one of his own rules.

"Thanks... what're we watchin'?" Jack plopped down beside Jeff.

"The way I see it, we got three choices... Nightmare on Elm Street, the original..."

"I don't feel like a horror movie. Having to wrestle Christian is scary enough."

"I know." Jeff answered "Well, there's also the Da Vinci Code..."

"Seen it." Jack answered

"Or Skater Boys 3: Gettin' Boarded!"

"Jeff, that sounds like gay porn to me..." Jack looked uneasy.

"Well, there's also the Care Bears Movie on Cinemax." Jeff quickly added.

"I guess gay porn it is." Jack mumbled, wondering why tonight would be the one night there was nothing on TV.

Outside the police station, Tom anxiously paced. He didn't know what to do. He needed to call Jeff, but he didn't feel right doing it right there.

"Fuckin' assholes." Tom heard Matt swear as he came outside. "You waitin' for someone Tommy?"

"Yeah, you." Tom replied "Are you and I ever gonna be able to coexist?"

"You've been a pain in my ass since you joined the company so no, I don't think we will." Matt answered

"You really should adjust your attitude and fast or both of us are gonna take the fall for this Morrison thing. Then where does that leave us... or Jeff for that matter, huh?" Tom said, feeling in his pockets for his cigarettes, then realizing that all his personal items were still in his street clothes, which were in his locker... back at the arena. "Fuck. All my stuff's still at the arena."

"Yeah, mine too." Matt answered

"I guess we start walkin." Tom said "If we're lucky, they've kept a door open for us."

"Y'know Vince is gonna flip." Matt said

They'd been walking for almost an hour in silence when Matt made that last comment and, except for a couple of wiseguy drivers who thought two young, good-looking, shirtless men walking down the street at midnight meant something, nothing had been said between the two Hardy brothers.

"Yeah." Tom responded "Matt, do you really hate me that much?"

"Hate you?" Matt had to think about the answer to that question. "I don't think so."

"Because you and I sure don't seem to get along at all." Tom answered "No matter what happens, we seem to fight."

"Let me answer that before you go off again. I've had a certain role for the last thirty-one years and suddenly I find myself on the outside looking in." Matt replied "And now I find out that you and Jeff are a what.. a couple..."

"I wouldn't go that far." Tom cut Matt off mid-sentence. "Okay, I'll admit that I love Jeff that way and I loathe myself for it every waking moment. I wish there was some way I could just forget about him, but you and I know it's not gonna happen. I don't know how Jeff sees me. I think he's even more confused than I am. I wish Morrison was still alive. When they were together, it was easy to look the other way." He rambled, but Matt let him. Matt was actually starting to understand where his brother was coming from though he still hated the whole idea of Jeff and Tom together.

"Tom, I dunno. As if that wasn't confusing enough, you threw yourself at me in the trainer's room."

"We both know that was a mistake." Tom replied "Matt, I need you... Jeff needs you. If the three of us are gonna survive all this nonsense, we have to stop fighting like teenagers. Whatever problems you and I have, we need to put them aside for now."

The things Tom said were making sense. But could he trust Tom after all they'd been through?

"Okay, say I trust you. Where do we go from here?" Matt asked

"Bro, if you trust me, then you already know the answer to that." Tom said, a sparkle in his eyes returning.

"Yeah, bro, I think I do." Matt replied, his eyes also shining. He felt he had a purpose again.

"Let's go." Tom started to jog. The darkened arena loomed ahead. Matt followed. Hopefully the future would provide more answers than questions.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_This fic is turning into a lot longer one than when I first thought of the plot... in the next chapter, more answers than questions, but the big question is: Can Matt and Tom set aside their problems long enough to realize what really matters?_

_As an aside, this is my first fic to reach 1000 hits... to all those of you who've read and reviewed, I thank you. To those of who who have just read it, I thank you as well.  
_


	15. The Righteous Brothers

The Righteous Brothers

"I guess we were lucky that someone was still here." Tom said, quickly putting his shirt on. Beside him, Matt was tossing his jeans and a jacket over his wrestling gear.

"For once, brother, I agree with you."

Tom swiped the entire contents off the top shelf of his locker and into his travel bag, then stuffed the rest of his clothes on top, only taking his keys and wallet with him. "I really didn't want to walk home in my gear."

"At least you have pants. I looked like a fuckin' male hooker." Matt lamented "I really miss pants."

"Where you stayin'?" Tom asked "Thanks." He shouted at the guard who had let them in.

"Don't worry. I got my rental." Matt answered

"I was gonna suggest we grab Jeff and get somethin' to eat." Tom said, twirling his keys around his finger. "I haven't eaten at all since lunch."

Matt's stomach churned, reminding him how long it had been since he'd eaten. "Sure, bro. Leave your car here, and we'll take mine. I'm sure we can find a bar somewhere that is still serving food."

As they drove, they talked.

"Matt, would you seriously take me out if you thought I was gonna hurt Jeff?"

"I would. Jeff has been through so much shit in the past couple years that the next person who hurts him is gonna pay and I mean pay." Matt grimaced

"Like Morrison?" Tom asked

"Just what are you saying? You think I really had something to do with his accident?" Matt slammed on the brakes, a red light having popped up outta nowhere.

"Since we're being honest Matt, I will tell you what I think. I think you'd do anything to protect Jeff, just like I would, and I also think you had the means, motive, and opportunity to do it. But despite all that, I don't think you did it." Tom answered "And I would hope that you think the same about me."

Now it was Matt's turn to answer. "I'm gonna be honest as well, but you may not like what I have to say. I think that you are a manipulative, calculating, person, who will do anything to get what he wants. I wouldn't put it past ya to kill someone if it would help you achieve your goals."

"So in other words, you're saying I'm capable of murder." Tom summarized

"I think everyone is. But you're one person who could do it easily." Matt replied

"That's very un-Christian of you." Tom sneered

"Let's leave Him out of it." Matt replied

"Who? The deity or Jay?"

"Both. May I finish what I was gonna say?"

"Sure. Slander me some more why dontcha?" Tom was regretting the way this entire conversation was heading.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, bro. A lotta people don't have that in them." Matt said "But, in this case, your motives aside, I'm willing to bet that you didn't do it."

"So, where does that leave us?" Tom leaned out the side and spat. "Whoever's running this case thinks that either or both of us did it. And I am not gonna spend the next months looking over my shoulder every five minutes. I dunno about you, but I intend to go something about this!"

"Like what?" Matt asked "Doing anything only makes it look like you got somethin' to hide."

"Like finding out who really did it." Tom answered "What better way to prove our innocence, right?"

"Count me in, man." Matt agreed

"No one can know what we're doin'." Tom said "Not the police, not any of the guys, and not even Jeff. That will be the tough part."

"Yeah. You know Jeffro. If he thinks I'm keepin' anythin' from him, he'll bug me till the end of time." Matt turned into the hotel Tom and Jeff were staying.

"I'll grab Jeff and we'll get some chow." Tom sprinted in.

The room he'd stared with Jeff was still empty. "Jeff?" Tom called, not knowing that Randy had already tipped off his little brother. "You in here?"

He flipped open his phone and quickly dialed the top number. He waited for a pick-up.

"Enigma." To Tom's relief, Jeff answered the phone but he sounded like he'd been working out.

"Jeffro? Where the hell are ya?" Tom demanded

"Tommy!" Jeff squealed "You're back."

"Matt and I had a little problem at work. We're back now. We still good for dinner?" Tom asked

"Yeah, sure." Jeff panted "Give me ten minutes."

"Where are you?" Tom asked "It sounds like you're exercising."

"Something like that." Jeff sighed "Ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay. We'll be out front." Tom shut off the phone, an idea in his mind. "Get your mind outta the gutter, Baker." Tom used his adopted name when he was talking to himself. A little third-person communication sometimes helped him see a little clearer. He threw his bag on the bed and went back downstairs to wait with Matt.

"Who was that?" Swagger asked, his breathing almost as heavy as Jeff's.

"Tom." Jeff replied, his eyes fluttering "He and Matty are back. They want me to join them for dinner."

"Then we'd better finish this off and fast." The choice of movie had aroused both men's libido and a couple of comments was all it took for them to agree to some mutual masturbation. Swagger's hand was pumping Jeff's long slender shaft, while Jeff was giving Swagger's a good going over.

"Yeah." Jeff said "What was the bet again?"

"Fifty." Jack answered, pumping furiously.

"You win." Jeff moaned, releasing his load. "I gotta go. They'll be wondering what I was doing."

"But..." Jack protested, watching Jeff clean off his chest and stomach.

Jeff threw some money on the bed, adjusted his clothing, and was out the door in moments.

"Fuck." Swagger moaned, staring at his throbbing erection. "Oh well, just like any other night." He gripped his own shaft, finishing himself off quite satisfactorily moments later.

"Why does our brother always take so damn long?" Matt drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

"Don't ask me. I'm just visiting." Tom answered, randomly skipping through his I-Pod.

"What you got on that?" Matt asked

"Better question: what don't I have on it?" Tom answered, going back to the main menu. "Here."

"Christian, country, cult music..." Matt read "Dire Straits... Evanescence... Genesis... Good Charlotte... wow, you listen to a lotta stuff."

"Makes the plane trips go a lot faster. Even better when you are seated next to an obnoxious coworker." Tom said

"Or a hyper brother." Matt added

"I dunno, man. I've never traveled with the two of you... oh here he is. I hope he doesn't smell like sex again." Tom mumbled

"Hiya, bros." Jeff seemed happy. "I missed ya." He hugged them both individually.

"Is there a 24 hour IHOP in this town?" Tom asked "I got a craving for pancakes."

"Pancakes are yummy." Jeff crowed "I want pancakes too!"

"I guess pancakes it is." Matt backed out.

"Yay!" Tom and Jeff both cheered.

"Great... I'm babysitting for two." Matt groaned "Does that mean you're both eating off the children's menu?"

"C'mon Matt, you know we're just buggin' ya." Tom answered "At least I am."

It took over an hour, but they eventually found an all-night IHOP on the edge of town.

Jeff skipped out of the car. "C'mon Tommy, Matty, pancakes!" He grabbed both of their hands.

"This is fuckin' embarrassing." Tom whispered

"Play along. Jeff hasn't been this happy in a long time." Matt answered, also in a low tone.

Over their pancakes, Tom and Matt told Jeff about their day, up to the part where Jeff was going to be brought in if they didn't cooperate.

"I guess it was a good think Randy told me what had happened at the arena." Jeff said, picking up an entire pancake from his plate and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Looks like Jeff enjoys stuffing things in his mouth." Tom laughed

"Yeah. Big floppy things in particular." Matt replied. Tom couldn't help wondering if that was meant as a knock against him or not.

"So, Jeff, we need to talk to you seriously about this situation." Tom said, thirty minutes and many plates of pancakes later.

"Mmmm." Jeff was licking the last traces of maple syrup from his lips.

"Matt and I have come to the conclusion that the only way we're gonna clear our names, all of our names, is if we find out who killed Morrison." Tom stated

"How do we do that?" Jeff asked

"That's the tough part." Matt replied

"Yeah. The first question we need to answer is who else wanted Morrison out of the way?"

"Lotsa guys. He was an asshole." Matt replied "Sorry, Jeff, but he was."

Jeff's face scrunched. "He was not!" he yelled

"To you, maybe. But to the rest of us, if we were dying of thirst in the middle of the desert, he'd still charge us ten bucks for a glass of water."

"That's a lot of suspects." Tom added

"Where do we begin?" Matt queried

"Well, we might as well start with what happened. Since we know that no one sitting here did it, what do we know?"

"Not much." Matt answered

"Matt, you know more than I do. You actually let them question you. I lawyered up five minutes after getting there and then I fell asleep." Tom said

"It's a bit of a mess, but apparently after leaving whatever club he was at, he drove his car off the side of the road." Matt answered

"According to the news, both brake lines had been cut." Tom answered "So we know that it must've happened while he was at the club or else he would've died before getting there, right?"

"If we find out who was at the club that night, at least we'll narrow the list down." Matt replied "Right?"

"You got it. It might not tell us much, but at least it'll tell us who we can eliminate." Tom responded

"Y'all want anythin' else?" The waitress interrupted their conversation, standing over them, hands on hips, her expression clearing wondering how many more plates of food they'd be able to put down.

"Thanks, but I'm stuffed." Tom exhaled, patting his ever-expanding waistline. "How about you guys?"

"Nah, I'm good." Matt replied "What about you Jeffro?"

Jeff was staring off into space.

"Hey, Jeff." Matt snapped his fingers in front of him. "Earth to Jeff."

"Huh?" Jeff blinked, back from whatever planet he'd been visiting.

"Do you want anything else?" Matt repeated

"Dude, I'm fine." Jeff returned to staring out the window.

"I guess just the bill, thanks." Tom said

While the bill was being totalled up, Matt and Tom talked further about their investigation; Jeff was still preoccupied with something.

"Here ya boys are." The waitress returned "Do y'all mind if I ask ya a question?"

"Depends what the question is?"

"I heard on the news that the police were close to crackin' that case about the dead wrestler..."

"Really? I hadn't heard." Tom said

"Was that legit? We thought that was part of the show..."

"Part of the show?" Matt cut in. "You're kidding, right? Not even Vince McMahon would go that far." He looked disgusted.

"You'll have to forgive my brother. He's had a very long night. We all have and since we have to fly out in the morning, I would suggest we get this bill settled and get the hell outta here." Tom patted Matt's back.

"Yeah, let's go." Matt sighed "I need some sleep."

Jeff was still out of it. He trailed behind Matt and Tom to the car, his mood having gone completely sour in the last five minutes.

"Jeffro? You still there?" Matt called back.

Jeff didn't answer, he still wore that hangdog expression. Tom, who didn't know better, thought he was on drugs and Matt, who did, knew that something was really bothering him. The entire ride back to the hotel, Matt tried to draw Jeff out, but he got no reply at all.

Even once back in their shared room, Jeff was quite. Too quiet, in fact.

"What's on your mind?" Tom asked, dropping onto his bed,

"Nothing... why does everyone think that there's always something on my mind?" Jeff snapped

"Holy mood swings." Tom sighed

Realizing that it was gonna be useless to try to talk to Jeff until he was ready to come out with whatever was on his mind, Tom busied himself with bedtime preparations. Jeff was still laying on his bed staring at the ceiling when Tom climbed in. Not even Bunny was ready for bed.

"Sleep well Jeff. I'll see you in a few." Tom turned out the light.

Once his eyes got used to the dark, Tom stared to his right. Jeff wasn't moving. He watched the silhouette inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, then inhale again. He waited for Jeff to breathe out.

"Fuck." Tom groaned, hearing one of Jeff's trademark sighs. He flipped on the bedside light "Jeffy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Jeff replied angrily "Why does everyone always think something is wrong with me?"

"Not everyone thinks there is something wrong with you. Just those of us who know you." Tom answered, leaning on his arm. "So... what's wrong?"

"I told you. Nothing." Jeff said

"Fine. Then cry yourself to sleep, see if I care." Tom reached for the light again. If Jeff was gonna be stubborn about it, Tom was gonna get a good night's sleep regardless.

"Wait."

"Am I gonna end up sharing sleeping arrangements with you again?" Tom asked

"Bro, you'll prob'ly never wanna speak to me again when I tell you what I gotta tellya." Jeff drawled

"Jeffro, nothing you can say will ever make me not want to talk to you." Tom answered "Now what could be so bad that you'd even think that?"

"You promise?"

"Jeffro..." Tom warned

"Okay." Jeff swallowed loudly. "I killed Morrison."

"You what?" Tom demanded

"See... I told you." Jeff folded his arms, biting down on his lower lip.

"Jeff, forgive me but this is surprising to say the least." Tom was lost for words. Having someone confess a capital crime to him was not an everyday occurrence. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"I didn't mean it to... I thought I was cutting his gas lines." Jeff sighed again, starting to cry noisily. "I just wanted to scare him!"

"Well, you did." Tom answered, silently wondering what Morrison's last moments were like. Tom had never stared death down and didn't think he ever wanted to. Just thinking about what was going through John's mind as he drove off the road was enough to make him shiver.

"You wanna tell me why? I mean, that's even a little extreme for you."

"I dunno..." Jeff lost it, sobbing shamelessly.

"C'mere Jeff." Tom called him over but he either didn't hear or he was too embarrassed to accept the invitation.

Tom quickly threw back the covers and knelt beside Jeff. "Jeffro, right now I'm speechless. But we're in this together and I still love you..."

"How can you love me... I'm a murderer!" Jeff screamed "I don't deserve anyone's love!"

"Bullshit, Jeff." Tom grabbed Jeff's trembling hard and squeezed it tight. "You had a momentary lapse of reason. We've all done it."

Jeff's turned his head sideways, Tom's words were soothing enough, yet he didn't believe they were meant until he looked deep into his brother's grey eyes. He saw no anger, no judgment, no nothing... except understanding.

"I guess Matt and I don't have to do a lot of investigating now." Tom caressed the back of Jeff's hand.

"Are we gonna tell Matty?" Jeff asked, a quaver of fear entering his voice.

"Whaddaya think, Jeff?" Tom answered "We have to."

"Why? Can't it just be our secret?" Jeff asked, his eyes pleading wordlessly.

"Jeff, you know how I am at keeping secrets." Tom said, his own eyes starting to water.

"Tommy, don't cry." Jeff said

"I'm not. It's my allergies." Tom answered

"You're a bad liar." Jeff giggled

"About as good as I am at keeping secrets. Now you know why we have to tell Matt."

"Now?" Jeff asked nervously chewing his lip again.

Tom checked his watch. "It can wait until morning." He answered "You gonna finally get some sleep?"

"I dunno. Maybe..."

"You'll need it if you're gonna explain what happened to Matt." Tom yawned "I'll be here for ya, but you're doin' the talkin'."

Tom returned to his warm bed and snuggled down for his rest. Just as he was reaching for the light switch again, Jeff stopped him.

"Tommy, can I..."

"Yes, Jeff, climb in." Tom answered before Jeff could finish the question.

"I love you." Jeff cuddled close, surrounded by Tom on one side and Bunny on the other.

"I love you too Skittles." Tom softly kissed Jeff's mouth. "Now can we please get some sleep? You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Okay." Jeff got into his usual spooning position. Tom wrapped an arm around him, holding him close as well.

"Tommy?" Jeff whispered

"Mm-hm.?" Tom asked, already half-asleep.

'What's gonna happen to me?"

"As long as your in my arms, nothing." Tom responded, rubbing his cheek against the back of Jeff's neck. They were both asleep in seconds.

The alarm call came way too early for both of them.

"I think they should cancel nine in the morning due to lack of interest." Tom groaned

"I don't wanna go to school Dad." Jeff muttered, still in the throes of what was probably an interesting dream.

Tom retrieved his arm, once again asleep from being stuck underneath Jeff for the entire night, and rolled over, almost squishing both Jeff and his friend.

"Ack!" Jeff pushed Tom the other way. Pushed him right out of bed as a matter of face. He missed cracking his skull on the side table by two inches at most.

"What the hell was that for?" Tom sat on the floor, looking bewildered.

Jeff had gone back to sleep.

"Not today, Jeff. Too much shit to deal with." Tom got up on his knees and pulled himself over to where Jeff had nestled down again, Bunny securely in his grip. He looked so peaceful that Tom had a hard time believing how much stress was flowing below Jeff's serene expression. He hoped that once Matt was told, that might relieve some of Jeff's stress. The whole situation was depending on Matt's reaction.

Tom blew lightly in Jeff's ear. Jeff flicked his hand in the direction, like he was swatting a fly. Tom did it again with the same reaction. It was obviously gonna take a little more coercion to get his attention this morning.

"What to do? What to do?" Tom thought "A-ha!" He snuck over to the other side of the bed and deftly removed Bunny from Jeff's grip. He whispered something in the rabbit's fur ear. Bunny nodded understanding.

Tom and Bunny dove in, tickling Jeff's face and neck with her fur. It took mere seconds for the Enigma to wake up, and he did not look pleased.

"No fair! You ganged up on me!" He gaped at his assailants.

"Sorry, bro, but we gotta be outta here by eleven and I figured you needed some alone time with Matt before check out. Thank-you for your help Bunny." Tom patted the furry head.

"Bunny! You traitor. No more Intercontinental title matches for you." Jeff scolded, rolling himself out of the bed.

"I'll call Matt." Tom offered "Then I'm gonna grab breakfast."

"Can't you stay.... pleeeease." Jeff begged

"If I do stay, promise me that you'll do all the talking." Tom reached for his cell phone.

"Promise. I'm gonna take a bath before he gets here though." Jeff skipped off to the bathroom.

Tom stared at the phone, wondering what would be the most sure-fire way to get Matt here.

"I hope this works." He punched the digits, taking a deep breath as he entered the last one.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" Matt answered on the second ring.

"I'm sorry to bother you this early, but I think you'd better get over here fast." Tom said

"Is something wrong?" Matt asked, genuinely sounding concerned

"Matt, we have a problem..."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Now we know who did it... how far will Matt and Tom go to protect their little brother? You'll have to wait and see. Back into the ring next chapter with interesting results._


	16. Brother Act

Brother Act

Tom sat in the corner, drinking bad coffee, watching Jeff spill his guts to Matt. Trying hard not to get overly emotional himself, Tom watched Matt's expression change from shock and disbelief, to sadness and confusion, with a bit of angst thrown in for good measure.

While watching Jeff go to pieces in Matt's, similar to what had happened only hours ago, Tom's mind raced. He'd been thinking hard about a solution, but it boiled down to one of two options: either Jeff was gonna take the fall or another scapegoat was gonna be needed. If so, who? Who else had a logical motive for getting rid of Morrison? Several names went through Tom's head... Mark? Jay? Melina? They could all be considered logical suspects, but Tom's analytical mind doubted that charges would stick against any of them.

And as far as he knew, the only people that were seriously being looked at as suspects all had the last name of Hardy. That was where the problems started. Knowing that both he and Matt were being watched closely, thanks to one-ill timed promo, made their situation even more perilous.

"Things are gonna work out Jeffro." Tom heard Matt's voice and it temporarily snapped his mind back to the present. "Right, Tom?"

"For sure, Matt. Leave it to big brother to come up with a solution." Tom replied "What's the worst that can happen? Both of us go to jail for a crime neither of us committed."

Jeff was horrified at the prospect. "No! I won't let you!" He cried forcefully into Matt's arms.

"Shhh, bro. Tom didn't mean to scare you like that, did you?"

All it took was one look at Jeff tear-streaked face. "Of course not. What I meant was we're gonna beat this and make everyone forget about John Morrison." Tom sipped his coffee. "Damn, the coffee at IHOP was much better."

"Pancakes? Matty?" Jeff looked at his brother as if Matt could magically make pancakes appear.

"Jeffro, you had pancakes three hours ago. Three plates of them."

"But Matty... pancakes!" Jeff repeated

"And we have a flight that leaves in an hour." Tom finished his coffee, tossing his paper cup toward the trash. "There is a definite difference between Tim Horton's here and the ones in Canada."

"Tommy!" Jeff shouted, pointed at the cup which now lay on the floor; Tom's aim being short and left.

"So I missed? Fine, I'll pick it up."

"Not that, silly. You didn't roll up the rim." Jeff said. The way he rolled his r's made it all the more adorable.

"I never win at that." Tom said

"Can I?"

"If it'll make you stop craving pancakes, sure." Tom thought, but had the smarts not to say it. "Go for it."

"We're in the middle of a legal mess and you're getting my brother excited over winning a free coffee." Matt smirked

"If it'll make him forget his problems for thirty seconds, let him be." Tom watched as Jeff slowly rolled up the rim, the tip of his tongue licking his lips excitedly.

"Yay!" Jeff capered around, doing his own dance of joy. "I won!"

"Typical." Tom growled

"Let me see."

Jeff stuck the cup in Matt's face. "See!" he said

"What'd he win?" Tom asked, knowing he'd never hear the end of this. Jeff was sure to milk even a coffee into a two-month display of one-upmanship.

"I dunno." Jeff had only rolled up the part that said 'win'.

"Prob'ly a donut" Tom muttered "and I am never gonna hear the end of this."

Jeff returned to the task of discovering his prize with such determination, one would think he was performing brain surgery.

With each little bit, his eyes grew wider until both of the brothers thought they would pop out of the sockets. With the prize finally revealed, Jeff jumped into Tom's arms, plastering his face with kisses.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou..." He babbled, bouncing over to give Matt the same treatment, though he had nothing to do with it.

"Jeff, I like donuts as much as the next guy, but that is overdoing it dontcha think?"

"Show's what you know Matty." Jeff stuck the completely revealed prize in his face.

"Thank God he didn't win Skittles for life." Tom remarked, wiping Jeff's slobber from his face. It was like he'd been kissed by a very happy bulldog.

"Almost as bad." Matt stated

"What is almost as bad?"

"Ten-k." Matt replied

"And here I thought those big prizes were all B.S. to get saps to buy their lousy coffee. Congrats I guess."

"It's okay, Tommy. I'll share it with ya." Jeff skipped back over.

"Nah, Jeff, it's cool. Just buy me a coffee sometime." Tom smiled, inwardly cringing.

"Bro's, we better get goin' if we're gonna make our flight."

"Awwww.... pancakes!" Jeff mock-sniffled

"I'll call Randy when we land in St. Louis. Maybe he knows where there's a decent IHOP around town." He ruffled Jeff's hair.

"Hey! DO NOT TOUCH THE HAIR! He shouted

"Whatever." Tom answered, thinking "the kid'll bust a loaf in my mouth, but he won't let me mess up his hair... this relationship is not gonna work..."

It was like night and day. Outside the ring, Tom and Matt's bond was tighter than ever, fueled by their desire to protect Jeff at all costs. Inside the ring, however, it was another story. Their feud had the makings of being one of the bloodiest in WWE history. Regular matches solved nothing, so things soon escalated. Extreme rules matches, ladder matches, "I quit" matches, first blood matches... you name it, they did it. As the matches piled up, so did the injuries.

During one of their more br-r-r-u-u-u-tal encounters, Matt shattered his wrist. Despite that, he returned the following week to fight Tom in an even more brutal rematch that saw Tom suffer a cracked patella.

The fans loved the intensity, notwithstanding the pain. Not only were these matches pushing Matt and Tom to their limits physically, but it was also an emotional drain on the third Hardy brother to watch. More than once, either Matt or Tom found him in tears when he returned to the hotel. The last straw for Tom came the night his knee went.

Forced to use a cane, he'd hobbled back to the room he was sharing with Jeff. Why Jeff didn't stay in Cameron on Tom's L.A. pad, he didn't know, but eventually Tom feared the wrong person was gonna see them together.

"I'm home." He shouted

Hearing footsteps from the bedroom, Tom waited nervously.

"I missed you." Jeff's voice faded. He eyes immediately went to the heavily iced and wrapped knee, the ring pants that had been cut just above, and the cane.

"I missed ya too." Tom answered, praying Jeff would keep it together.

Jeff ran back into the bedroom. Tom could soon hear several screams from within, dashing his hopes for Jeff keeping it together.

"Jeffro, are you okay?" He lightly tapped on the door with his cane.

"No, I'm not!" Jeff yelled back through the door.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked. If it was just the knee injury, that wouldn't make a lot of sense. Jeff had his own share of injuries over his career, several of them comparable in severity to the one he'd just suffered.

"That is what's wrong!" Jeff threw open the door and pointed at the wrap.

"It's just cracked. I'll be back on my feet in a coupla weeks." Tom responded "C'mon, you've been hurt before, what's the big deal?"

"It's just that..." Jeff paused while he tried to find the right words. For once, the poet laureate was speechless. "Fuck it,. You wouldn't understand."

"The fuck I wouldn't." Tom hobbled over to the couch and stretched out on it, his leg horizontal. "If it's about the feud with Matt, you know it's all for the peeps, right?"

Jeff sulked. How could he explain what was going through his head and heart right then?

"It's just... you're hurting each other out there and it's scaring me." Jeff stared at the floor.

"Maybe you should stop watching our matches, then." Tom retorted

"Fine." Jeff answered "I'll just take my Bunny and go."

"I don't believe you, Jeff. No more than I believe that you're all worked up over my knee." Tom sighed "Now are you gonna tell me what's really bothering you or continue to treat me like your enemy?"

Jeff turned on CNN.

"The stock market crash again?" Tom asked. His investments had taken a hit, much like a lot of the guys. Even JBL, the WWE's financial genius, was barely keeping his head above water.

"Just wait."

Tom sat through the local, national, and international news, followed by the daily market news.

"What am I...?"

"Shhh." Jeff whispered "Here it is."

"Police have announced that they have a suspect in the death of WWE superstar John Hennigan. As reported earlier, John Hennigan, or Morrison as he was known as to millions of wrestling fans, died several weeks ago when he drove his car off a bridge after spending the evening at a nightclub. No names have been released pending completion of the investigation but sources say an arrest is expected within the next twenty-four hours. In other news, Major League Baseball reports that..."

Jeff clicked off the set.

"Okay... I'm calling Matt." Tom reached for his phone.

Surprisingly, Matt didn't answer his phone. "Weird." Tom said, listening to it ring. "Hey Matty, it's Tom. Call me when you can... I gotta talk to you."

"Why didn't he pick up?" Jeff asked

"I dunno, Jeff. Maybe he's in the middle of dinner or something." Tom shrugged "I'll try back later. In the meantime, we're gonna relax, I'm not getting off this couch until I absolutely have to, and we're having a good time tonight."

At least they were. Matt was having his own problems. After his match with Tom, he had gone out for dinner. While eating, he'd overheard the same broadcast that Jeff and Tom had seen. This was coupled by the appearance of Detectives Green and Black a few minutes later.

"Just the man we were looking for." Green slid into the booth beside Matt, while Black sat across from him.

"So?" Matt said, chomping down on his cheeseburger with gusto. Not easy with one broken wrist, but he still managed

"We figured that you should know that we're gonna be picking up your brother." Green said by way of small talk.

Matt choked, bits of half-chewed beef flying out of his mouth.

"Wha...?" Matt hit himself on the back, trying to clear his airway.

"Yeah. The chief has enough to nail him for Morrison." Green slapped a file down. "And it also appears that there's an unsolved crime going back a few years as well that we can get him for. Seems that he killed a tranny outside a nightclub also."

"You sure know how to pick your family." Black laughed

"Fuck you." Matt answered

"Now, listen." Black pushed Matt against the wall of the booth. "We know you know who did it. "

"I told you everything..."

"Shut up! You may be a big shot with the WWE, but you don't amount to a hill of piss to me! I'm giving you two choices... you can either tell us exactly what we want to know or maybe we dig a little deeper into your background and who knows what we'll find."

"That's extortion." Matt replied

"Call it incentive." Black replied "So what's it gonna be? You or him?"

Matt looked from Black's impassive face to Green's, then down to the photos Black was slowly placing in front of him one by one. Gruesome photos of what was left of Morrison after his body had been recovered from the wreck of his car as well as pictures of whatever was left of the other victim.

"Think it over. You know where to reach us." Black left one of the more vibrant pictures as a reminder. He and his partner left the restaurant. Moments later, Matt's phone rang... it was Tom, but Matt was too shaken to answer it. He let his voice mail pick up and hoped it wasn't any more bad news.

"You really think those tactics will work?" Green asked, sitting in the parking lot.

"Oh, they will." Black replied

"So, what's the next step?"

"We wait. If Hardy's got any brains, he'll lead us right to his brother and then we nail them... we nail both of them!"

"That was stupid of him, signing his stage name at that club." Green pulled out an enlargement of the guest list of the club on the night in question. "What an idiot.... oh boy... did you look at this?"

"Not the blow-up... I saw the original." Black answered

"We may have fingered the wrong Hardy." Green looked at the register, then his partner, then back at the photo.

"Whaddaya mean?" Black took the sheet.

"Tell me the truth... are you sure that's a T? It sure looks like a J to me."

"Son of a bitch!" Black threw the papers into the back seat. "Hang on!"

The unmarked police car spun out of the restaurant, tires leaving a pair of black lines on the grey surface of the parking lot.

Soon after, Matt called his brothers.

"Talk to me." He gasped

"Did you get my message?" Tom asked, moving to a slightly more comfortable position on the couch. Jeff was sprawled between his legs, contentedly munching on Skittles.

"I know you left a message but I didn't check it... we don't have much time." Matt repeated the heated exchange he'd just had.

"Fuck..." Tom sat up a little more, inadvertently banging his bad knee against Jeff's bony back. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

"You okay?" Matt asked

"Banged my fuckin' knee." Tom answered through clenched teeth "What are you talking about?"

"Those detectives think you did it." Matt revisited the exchange he'd had with Green and Black. "They threatened to starting digging through my past if I didn't give you up."

"Did you?" Tom asked, motioning for Jeff to change positions.

"Bro..." Matt whined

"Dumb question. Where are those jerks now?"

"Dude, they were watching me for a few minutes, then one of them showed the other a picture of something and they tore out of here. They might be comin' for ya." Matt said, a nervous frown crossing his face.

"Then you better get back here first." Tom replied

"On my way."

Tom hung up the phone. "We're fucked!" He announced

Jeff went pale. "Wh-wh-what happened?" He stammered

"Matt got accosted. I guess they thought I was the killer, but based on what Matt just told me, I think they're coming for you."

Jeff's eyes bulged and his lower lip started to shake. "No!" He whispered throatily. "You can't let them take me!"

"Jeff, nobody is taking no one anywhere." That didn't sound grammatically correct, but Tom didn't have time to think about syntax.

"What are we gonna do? I can't go to jail." Jeff whined

"I knew this was gonna happen." Tom chided himself for his lack of foresight. "Okay, think, think, think..." He pounded his head, trying to force an idea. "Got it! Call Shannon. See if he can hide you out until this blows over."

"Now?"

"Yes, now... then get packed. Once Matt gets here, we're checking out and driving you to the airport. If Shannon can't hide you, I'll call my Mom. I don't think they'll look for you in Canada... at least not right away."

Three bangs on the door stopped Tom in mid-plot. Jeff gulped nervously.

Tom waved Jeff into the bedroom just in case it was the police. There was a fire escape he could duck out onto if needed.

"Who is it?" Tom hobbled over to the door.

"Housekeeping? You want blow job?" It was Matt.

"Get in here." Tom forcibly threw Matt into the room and quickly secured the door.

"Where's Jeff?" Matt asked worriedly.

"In the bedroom." Tom answered

"I got here as fast as I could, but I don't know how much time we got." Matt said "They're closing in on us."

"Yeah. We have one wild card. If they're looking for someone named Hardy registered at this hotel, they won't find a soul." Tom said

"What's your plan?"

"Jeff... did you call Shannon?"

"Yeah." Jeff came out of the bedroom. "He's cool."

"We get Jeff on a plane to Cameron and then you and I resume our normal schedule." Tom said "It's the only chance we've got..."

"But..." Jeff interrupted

"No time to argue, Jeffro. Get your shit packed... Matt, get him to the airport and I will meet up with you in Salt Lake City." Tom ordered

In no time, Jeff was ready to go. Suitcase in one hand, Bunny in the other, he stood nervously waiting while Matt and Tom tried to cover every possibility.

"And if you see any of our friends at the airport, call me... if I don't hear from you, I'll assume everything went off."

"Got it, bro, c'mon Jeff... we gotta fly."

"Stairs?" Jeff asked

"Fire escape." Matt answered "I parked right beside it. I had a feeling something like this was gonna happen."

"Bye, Tommy." Jeff hugged his brother tightly.

"Bye Jeffro. Be good for Shannon and I'll talk to you as soon as I can." Tom hugged Jeff back, kissing the tip of his nose softly. "Now go!"

Jeff and Matt scurried down the fire escape and bolted for Matt's rental. Tom quickly limped through the suite, trying to make it appear that only one person had been living here for the past two days. The only traces of Jeff were two arm bands and a used condom wrapper under the bed. The wraps Tom stuffed into the bottom of his tote bag... the condom wrapper he flushed.

That task completed, Tom sprawled across the sofa and turned the television back on, hoping some big-money game show might take his mind off recent events.

"No deal!" He shouted, getting caught up in an episode of "Deal or No Deal". "C'mon, you stupid woman, there are only five cases left and three of them are six figures... don't take it!"

The 'stupid woman' in question obviously wasn't listening to Tom since, with an orgasmic-like shriek, she shouted "Deal!" and pressed the button, guaranteeing herself a nice visit with the IRS man come tax time.

"Dumb ass." Tom covered his eyes, only listening as the rest of the game was played out. As it turned out, she could've walked away with a lot more money if she'd only stayed in the game longer, a fact she was made painfully aware of when the last two cases in the game contained four hundred thousand dollars and three-quarters of a million respectively.

"You sold your case for ninety-nine thousand dollars... you obviously made a bad deal... your case was worth..." It was opened to reveal the three-quarters of a million. Collective groans from the contestant, her rooting section, and the audience.

"Told ya." Tom smirked, beginning to channel surf. His phone beeped. It was a text from Matt. Two simple letters... 'OK'.

"Whew!" Tom sighed, relieved. His relief was soon shattered by a loud pounding on his door.

"Open up, police!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_The police are closing in... can Tom stall them long enough... you'll have to continue to read to find out!_

_To my existing reviewers, your honesty is always refreshing and to my newest critic Libby-Lee, your kind words are appreciated. I hope you will continue to enjoy my work and I promise you all that in the next chapter, there... will... be... HARDYCEST!  
_


	17. Doin' It All For My Brother

Doin' It All For My Brother

Tom stared out the window of his eighth-floor hotel room and sighed loudly. He was now rooming with Matt, and he was lonely. He hadn't seen or heard from Jeff in almost a month and if that wasn't bad enough, he'd become extremely skittish. Every time there was a knock on his hotel room door, even if it was only room service, Tom's heart would start pounding and he'd be on the verge of panic.

The sound of the key swipe shocked Tom back to reality, but it was only Matt returning from the gym. He'd noticed the changes in his brother rather early on, and was there for him, but there was only so much he could do.

"Why don't you call him? I thought that's what you bought the damn phone for." Matt tossed his gym bag down and came across the room to stand next to Tom. The skies looked rather threatening, much like certain moods. "It's untraceable, right? You use up the time and you throw it away."

"Yeah, but if it isn't as secure as they say... what if someone finds the phone and traces the number...?" Tom demanded "I need him, but I'm not willing to risk Jeff's safety over it."

"Well, you better do something, before it starts to affect your work." Matt said, patting Tom's neck. "Fuck man, you gotta loosen up."

"Matty, please, not now." Tom answered

"Okay." Matt replied "Are you gonna eat by yourself again?"

"Already ate." Tom said

"I meant food, not dude." Matt answered, trying for a laugh.

"That too." Tom smiled a little.

"Here." Matt slammed his own phone into Tom's hand. "Call him."

"If I'm nervous about using a supposedly untraceable line, why would I use yours?" Tom demanded

"Because if you don't, I'm gonna." Matt threatened. Tom believed him.

"Maybe later." Tom answered

"Okay... but I meant it."

"I know you did. Don't think I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me." Tom looked deep into Matt's eyes, trying to read him. He sensed something was up with his younger brother as well. "But you didn't cut your workout short just to give me advice... what's bothering you?"

"What do you mean short... I was there for two hours." Matt responded

"I guess I lost track of things." Tom sighed

"You never did tell me how you got away from the police back in St. Louis." Matt changed the subject, not necessarily to something less stressful, but something he'd been wondering about since the day in question.

"It wasn't that hard. I ran into the bathroom and got into the shower..."

FLASHBACK

"Open up, Police!'

In a split second, Tom had to choose between two things and either way there was gonna be consequences.

"Police, open up! We know you're in there Hardy!"

"Like I'm gonna deal with this right now." Tom began to strip, throwing his clothes all over the room. Should the police decide to bust in, they'd find only a mess and hopefully a guy in the shower. When he was down to his underwear and knee brace, he hopped into the restroom and safely locked the door, drowning out the banging from the other room.

Quickly shedding his last article of clothing, he jumped in, still wearing the protective joint covering. The trainer hadn't said anything about removing it, so Tom made do with de-icing it for the time being.

"...and that was the last I heard of them. I must've stayed in there for a good twenty minutes."

"Maybe they got bored." Matt laughed

"Either that or they figured it was a set-up, but I guess even that didn't give them enough time to nab Jeff at the airport." Tom fiddled with his hair.

"That was the big thing, getting Jeff to safety." Matt answered "Now it's our turn."

"Last night of the big feud, eh Matt?" Tom said "Last chance for me to beat you senseless."

"Other way around, man." Matt responded

"We'll see." Tom grabbed his bag, Matt the same, and they split for that night's contest. The entire trip in, Tom was squeezing the disposable cell in his pocket, wishing for a set so he could call Jeff. He wondered if Jeff hadn't called him for the same reasons he hadn't called Jeff.

"Our promo isn't first, is it?" Tom asked

"Nah, we're segment seven tonight." Matt replied

"Can you take my bags in? I've gotta make a call as soon as we get there." Tom answered

"No problem." Matt read Tom's face. "Tell Jeff I said hi."

No sooner had they arrived, then Tom sought out the solace of an abandoned room, any room would do. With shaking fingers, he called Jeff's cell.

While it rang, he paced the room.

"Five, six, seven, eight, nine..." Tom counted in his head. "What the hell are you doing?" He clenched his other fist. "Ten... Jeffro, please answer..."

Tom let it ring another half-a-dozen times before he finally gave up. He leaned against the wall, and slowly slid to the cold floor, his head falling onto his chest with despair.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Through half-closed eyes, Tom flipped it open and nearly fainted when he saw the number. It was Jeff calling back!

"H-h-hello?" He tried to take all the anxiety out of his voice.

"Tommy?" Oh how wonderful it was to hear that drawl after so many days apart. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Tom answered, feeling tears come to his eyes. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess." Jeff answered "Shanny's been taking care of me. Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing, bro." Tom answered, the tears flowing freely now. "We're still walking with eyes in the back of our heads."

"Is everything okay?" Jeff asked "You sound different."

"I'm trying not to start bawling like a baby right now and failing miserably." Tom answered, sniffling.

"Awwww, Tommy, it's okay." Jeff cawed

"I know. I just miss you so damn much, it hurts." Tom answered "I never knew how much I needed to have you around until I woke up and you're not there."

"Me too." Jeff replied "Maybe some day?"

"I hope so. Each moment I spend away from you makes it harder for me to go on. Some times I wanna just pick you up and take you somewhere where no one has ever heard of World Wrestling Entertainment." Tom wiped his eyes.

"You mean it? That's so sweet." Jeff said, his own voice hitching.

"Listen to us... crying like a coupla of teenage fans at the New Kids reunion." Tom laughed

"You mean N'Sync, don't you?" Jeff asked "Mmm, Lance Bass, so dreamy."

"Don't get me started... I gotta promo in half an hour." Tom rested against the wall.

"Oh, come on, I know what you'd do to him if you had the chance." Jeff answered

"I would not. You forget I'm already in love with my brother... why would I need an ex-boy band member?"

"I dunno. A little variety?" Jeff mumbled, sounding like he was eating something.

"Doesn't he only go for reality stars anyway?" Tom asked

"Dunno." Jeff repeated. He was definitely eating something and it wasn't what Tom was wishing it was.

"Can't you go five minutes without your Skittles?"

"Can't you go one day without getting off?" Jeff retorted "Or one hour at least?"

"I think you're confusing me with Matt." Tom answered, trying to be serious for once during the conversation.

"Same shit, different pile." Jeff answered

"Am not." Tom sulked "I'm nothing like him."

"You're a lot more alike than either of you want to admit." Jeff responded

Tom wondered exactly what Jeff meant by that, but decided not to press him further. It would only lead to creepiness.

"The only think we have in common is our love for our little brother." He said

"And what hangs between your legs." Jeff added

"That has nothing to do with it." Tom retorted

"No. But it could?" Jeff giggled

"Jeffro, what are you saying?" Tom shouted "You want Matt as well?"

"No, but since I'm not gonna be around nearby..."

"Jeff, that's sick!"

"Tommy, it's a case of mind over matter... if you don't mind, it doesn't matter!" Jeff replied, his mouth once again full of candy.

"I'm sure Matt would have a problem with it though." Had Jeff just suggested that matt would be into doing something with him? Tom's head spun from the thoughts racing through it.

"I don't think so." Jeff answered "And I don't mean it permanently... maybe just this once..."

"Just this once... famous last words." Tom cut in. "I'm sure that's what you thought the first time we did it."

"No, dude. Never set limits on yourself." Jeff replied

"What do I do... just go up to Matt and tell him that you think we should have sex? I'm libel not to make it to my match tonight." In spite of himself, Tom laughed.

"He's cool." Jeff replied

"What.... you've talked to him and he didn't tell me?" Tom gave the finger to the phone.

"Just once. He emailed Shanny a couple times, though." Jeff stated "I know how bad you're hurting right now."

"Jeff, my knee is fine." Tom answered "I told you it as..."

"I meant in your heart. We agreed that maybe this would take some of the hurt away, at least for a little bit."

"I don't believe this!" Tom was starting to sweat from nervousness. "You actually talked to Matt about having sex with me and he's fine with it! What the fuck...!"

"I ain't forcin' ya bro. You're in a bad way..."

"I'm sure I could find a non-behemoth around here to take care of me if I'm as desperate as Matt apparently made you believe I am!" Tom said

"Tom, I..."

"Jeff, I don't wanna argue with you. I'll keep it in mind, but..."

"Tommy?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." Tom started to cry over the phone again. He soon heard Jeff's weeping on the other line.

"I don't want you to hurt you any more." Jeff sobbed

"You've never hurt me and you never will." Tom wiped his face and glanced at his watch. He still had a good half-hour before his promo, but who knows how much time was left on the phone.

"I am!" Jeff wailed "We're miles apart 'coz I was stupid enuff to think I could get away with murder!"

"Jeff, watch the show tonight, please." Tom whispered

"Why? You and Matty are just gonna hurt each other some more."

"Just promise me you will, please... for me?"

"I promise." Jeff sighed

"Thank-you. I gotta get ready Skittles, but before I go... one question... is Matt a top or a bottom?"

Tom hung up before Jeff had a chance to answer.

Matt was waiting for Tom in his dressing room when he finished his call.

"How'd it go?" He asked

"You never told me that you've been talking to Jeff." Tom responded, throwing the almost dead phone into a trash can.

"Oh, Jeff told you that." Matt answered

"He told me some other interesting things as well." Tom added

"You mean the sex thing?" Matt started fiddling with his fingers.

"Yes, I mean the sex thing." Tom replied "Why would either of you think this was what I needed... better still, why would you agree to it! Hell, you're straighter than most two by fours!"

"I've been reading you since we met." Matt answered "From what I've seen man, you thrive on contact with people, whether it be physical, or not. You haven't had that since Jeff left. I mean, I don't know what kind of things you two were doing, but..."

"Whatever... this is not something I want to even think about right now. Tonight we start the end of this stupid feud and I wanna give the fans something to remember it by." Tom was thinking not of the fans in the ring, but a certain fan at home.

Match, promo, commercial, promo, commercial, match. The first six segments went by without a problem. Up next was the Hardy promo.

Tom entered first, still on his crutch for the sake of the audience.

"Well, we meet again." He laughed "Matt, no matter how hard you try, not only can you not put me down for long, but you can barely beat me once you do. But I'm sick of all this crap between the two of us. I say we settle this once and for all!"

Matt appeared on the Titantron, looking thoughtful.

"So, you've finally admitted that you'll never be as good as me. There's a first... the great Tom Hardy admits that he's not the centre of the universe! Yeee-haw!"

"You put your title on the line, I'll put my title on the line... winner take all!" Tom suggested

"Dude, that's weak sauce. Why would I want your cheap-ass title?"

"Maybe as a reminder of how you fucked over both your brothers in the span of six months." Tom shouted "Or have you forgotten about little Jeffy?"

"Jeffro." Matt whispered

"You're supposed to be the responsible one. Jeff's protector. What happened? You've driven him away from the two things he loves more than anyone else on the planet... wrestling and us."

Tom could sense that the fans were starting to turn against Matt, which is what he wanted.

"C'mon Matt, show everyone that you're not a pussy. Show us that you have what it takes to be champion. Show Jeff that you still care about him." Tom threw the last line in as an ad-lib, wondering what Matt's reaction would be. "Show Jeff that you love him half as much as I do."

Matt was speechless. Tom was practically admitting to his incestuous relationship with Jeff in front of millions of people. How was he to respond?

"Fine... you're on. Tonight I rid you of that title and show you that no one loves Jeff more than I do!" Matt stormed off-screen.

Tom smiled, nodding in agreement. "We'll see, Matt. We'll see." He strolled back to his locker room, where he knew Matt was gonna be waiting for him. What he didn't know what how much more baiting Matt would need.

Tom entered his dressing room, and locked the door. As he'd expected, Matt was waiting for him, the Championship belt tossed carelessly aside.

"Great promo..." Matt said

"Shut up and kiss me." Tom growled, the heat of his arousal coming in waves. Matt was similarly turned on, and giving off his own scent.

Matt grabbed Tom's hair, yanking it back and plundering his neck with kisses and small bites.

"You fuckin' animal." Tom roared. This was what he'd been wanting for a long time. Someone to return the dominance he craved. He was so used to holding back. "Ahhh..." Matt had bitten a little deeper.

Tom's hands roved through Matt's hair, freeing it from the ponytail and letting it fly around his shoulders in obsidian waves. With Matt's mouth otherwise occupied, Tom's hands found a grip on Matt's shoulders, holding him in place while his neck was otherwised assaulted.

"We gotta match in an hour. No marks." Tom muttered

"Shut up! Once I beat you, these love bites won't even be noticeable." Matt bit a little deeper, drawing blood.

Tom groaned, a deep feral growl coming from inside him. With as much force as he felt comfortable using, he pulled Matt off him and kissed him hard, enjoying the taste of his own blood on Matt's lips and tongue, their arms gripping and groping at each other's torso, Matt tearing at Tom's shirt while Matt did the same to Tom. In seconds both garments were shredded at their feet, their mouths continuing their interlocking movements.

"Fuckin' a, Matt." Tom suddenly dipped, and Matt ended up falling onto the couch. "And here I thought you were the straight one." His shirt destroyed, Tom could see why Matt had done his portion of the interview from the back. He was sporting serious wood and this was the kind of thing that, unless Matt had gotten off, would not be unnoticeable. The tight fabric of his tights had it clearly outlined. "I'll bet you fuckin' miss pants even more now." Tom cupped the inviting bulge in his hand, watching Matt.

"Dammit." Matt moaned, spit flying from his lips in streams. "Take me!"

"Like you're gonna take my fuckin' title? I don't think so." Tom pulled the string on Matt's tights, loosening them, but not bringing any more relief. "I'm gonna..."

Matt suddenly pulled Tom back into his arms and they spent the next minutes kissing each other intensely.

"Oh, Tommy." Matt groaned "I want you... I need you... I have to have you... inside me!"

"Matty, keep this up and I promise you I'll give you what you want so badly you won't be able to stand, much less wrestle!" Tom broke the kiss only long enough to glare forcefully at Matt, who returned the look.

With another growl, Tom yanked Matt's tights and underwear down to his ankles. Now free from it's cloth confines, Matt's erection glistened under the fluorescent lights. Somehow Tom managed to remove the garments over his boots without tearing them, but even if he had, Matt wouldn't have cared. Lying there, completely naked except for his boots and elbow pads, he looked less like a champion and more like what Tom wanted: his own sex toy.

Tom licked his lips. They were suddenly very dry.

"Lube's in my bag." Tom moaned

Tom looked to Matt, surprised. "You two had this all planned out, didn't you?"

"You want me to answer that or do you want to fuck me?" Matt answered, thrusting his hips at Tom.

"Yeah... shut up and fuck sounds good to me." Tom retrieved the tube of lubricant from Matt's bag.

"Skittle flavored? Now you're just fuckin' with me." Tom read the label, hoping he wouldn't start laughing and ruin the mood.

"Jeff wanted me to taste like he does." Matt moaned

Tom squeezed a generous amount onto his hand and clenched his fist to allow it to warm up. Once his hand felt warm enough he applied the sticky substance to Matt's dick, coating it thoroughly.

"I hope this shit is edible." He thought. Skittles was starting to become his new favorite snack.

Tom took a tentative lick of Matt's now candy-flavored cock and found the taste extremely inviting. For the next minutes, Tom licked and sucked his way across every inch of Matt, wondering how long it would take to get to the sweet center.

"How do you want this... you want me to finish you off then fuck you or watch you blow while my dick is shoved so far inside you, I'll be tickling your tonsils from the wrong end?"

"Give it to me baby."

"No, I'm Rick James, bitch!" Tom shouted

"Shush... you want Vince to hear us?" Matt demanded "His office is right next door."

"Unless he asks to join in, I don't give a rip." Tom squeezed more lube onto his fingers and worked them into Matt's other hole. "Let me know if I'm hurting you." He said

"This if all you, man. I don't care." Matt clenched when Tom's first two fingers penetrated his ring, but he soon relaxed enough for Tom to enter a third finger.

Matt was moaning softly each time he felt one of Matt's fingers swipe against his inner walls.

"Are you ready?" He asked

Matt swallowed wordlessly.

"I said... Are you ready?" Tom repeated, pulling Matt's eyes to lock with his own.

Matt nodded. Tom stood, pulling his own cargo pants and boxers down with one fluid motion, his own erection pointing straight out like a divining rod.

"Then, for the two people in attendance, and the zero who'll see this on Xtube, lllllllllllllet's get rrrrrrrrrrrrready to fuck you!"

With one thrust, Tom was inside Matt. The pain was excruciating at first and Matt probably would have screamed if Tom hadn't leaned over and kissed him at the same time.

As Tom started to move inside him, the pain lessened, helped by the lube, and Matt started to enjoy it.

Tom was breathing heavily, grunting each time he thrust forward. Matt wondered how long he was gonna be able to keep it up, considering how aroused he looked at first.

"Tom, you don't have...." Matt's voice went up when Tom hit his prostate with his last thrust. "Oh fuck..." That was all it took for his cock to start shooting thick ribbons, splattering against Tom's chest, his abs, and the first shot even going straight up in the air and splattering in his hair.

Tom continued to thrust until Matt had spent every bit of himself. He suddenly pulled out. Matt, disappointed from suddenly losing the source of his pleasure watched as Tom gripped himself. Two quick jerks was all it took and then he was also shooting, covering Matt with his own juice like Matt had done moments earlier.

Tom continued to shoot stream after stream onto Matt. It looked like an explosion in a glue factory by the time he finished. He exhaled heavily, staring at Matt who was also still a little flushed. Their silence was broken was several taps on the door.

"Fuck, Tom, you did need that." Matt gasped "Now I need a shower."

"Better hurry. We got ten minutes before our match." Tom looked at the clock on the wall.

"Shit! How the hell am I gonna look like I didn't just get my brains fucked out in ten minutes."

"You're not." Tom smiled, grabbing a towel and wiping off his body. He deliberately left the mess in his hair. "Just do what you can."

"But our gear?" Matt asked

"I got a spare shirt... Don't you?"

"Not right here." Matt wailed

Tom rummaged through his bag while Matt put his trunks back on. "It wasn't what you were wearing in the promo, but it'll do." It was copy of Matt's purple "unlock your destiny" shirt.

He threw it at Matt.

"Thanks bro. But you know we still smell like sex. They'll know something is up."

"Who cares?" Tom answered "I'll see you in the ring. Now that I've taken you, I'm gonna take your title as well." As a little rib, he gave him Mattitude as he stepped out, carefully closing the door so nobody would realize that he hadn't been alone in his locker room. He passed the Chairman's office, and was tempted to knock on the door to see if Vince had been listening to them, but decided against it when he heard...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time for our main event... and it is TITLE... VERSUS... TITLE...!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Now that Hardycest v2.0 is done, back to the plot... title vs. title... brother vs. brother... oh, did I mention that Jeff gets arrested! Tune in to see what happens._


	18. What Brothers Want

What Brothers Want

Tom stared at the arena lights, flat on his back. Around him, he heard thousands of fans, most of them cheering what Matt had just accomplished. It had taken three Twists of Fate, twenty-seven grueling minutes, and a little help from the ring post, but Matt was now a dual Champion and Tom was... well, a former champion.

Just laying on the Matt was kinda relaxing. His muscles were gonna scream at him later, that was for sure, but right now Tom stayed prone, breathing evenly. The arena noise, coupled with his own thoughts spiraling started to make him drowsy and Tom felt himself nodding off. He was almost asleep when he became aware of a form perched over him. This time, thankfully, he did not blindly kiss whomever it was. Even though I'm sure the referee would've enjoyed it.

"What do you want on your pizza?" He asked.

"Sausage, anchovies, shrimp..." Tom mumbled. Conversations like this were the norm, post-match. The fans were never close enough to hear actual words so this is what passed for "post-match concern" on the part of the referee.

"It'll be here in thirty minutes or it's free."

Tom rolled to his side, his recently cracked patella protesting loudly. Although he'd been told it was healed, nineteen times he'd either used it or fallen on it during the match and it was starting to complain loudly, as was his back, neck, shoulders, and groin. The last having nothing to do with the match, but the activities prior. It had been a little too much. Every time Matt accidentally brushed up against him, tingles of electricity went straight to that part of his anatomy.

"He's at the ramp... now's your chance." The signal came.

"Matt!" Tom screamed at the top of his lungs. Even without a mic, and with the crowd noise at volume, Matt still heard him.

He turned, a title draped over each shoulder, as Tom staggered to his feet, favoring his one leg.

"Matt!" He hollered again. "I'm not finished with you!"

"I think you are." Matt answered, not nearly as loud. Tom had to strain to read his lips.

Tom signaled for a mic. "Get over here!"

"You want some more?" Matt transferred both titles to his left shoulder and returned down the entrance way.

"I want you." Tom shouted "Right now! Imaa gonna finish this if it's the last thing I ever fu... do!" He almost single-handedly changed the show's rating with that slip.

Matt was hurting almost as much as Tom was; they'd both dished out a lot of abuse during the match. Tom had come soooo close to winning the title several times during the match, but it was not to be. Thank God he had a hot tub, though he had no idea how much use it was gonna get in the next week.

"Tom, I think you've had enough." Matt said, tentatively stepping back into the squared circle.

"It's never gonna be enough!" Tom shouted back.

"Are you that determined to end your career?" Matt tried another track. "If you're trying to prove something to me, or these fans, then I think you've succeeded. What did you say a while ago...? That you wanted to create your own Legacy? Brother, I think you've done it." He dropped both titles belts to the canvas with a clang.

Tom's expression softened slightly. Was Matt actually giving him props?

"If you want to fight me again right now, I'll do it, but I don't think either of us want to." Matt's expression changed as well. Gone was Mattitude, in it's place was the Matt that Tom knew outside the ring. The kind, loving, protective older (now middle) brother.

"But..." Tom looked over at the title belts.

"If this was all about belts, I'll job right now for you. Is that what you want?"

Tom faltered. Their decision to wing this part of the show wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. He was dangerously close to breaking apart and, in front of thousands of fans, that wasn't something he wanted to do.

"Matt, I don't know what I want right now!" Tom shouted, his eyes watering.

"Well, I do... I want my brother back. I've already lost one, I don't wanna lose another." Matt held out his hand.

"Shake! Shake! Shake!" The audience was chanting. This was not the reaction either Hardy had expected. After all, Tom was still supposed to be the heel.

Tom looked into Matt's eyes and saw Matt Hardy the man, not Matt Hardy the wrestler. If this was how the feud was gonna end, though not exactly as written, then this was how it was gonna end. He looked out at the fans who were all screaming at him to do the right thing.

"Matt, you know how much I hate to be second best, but I guess it'll have to do." Tom grasped his hand and shook it. This soon escalated into a warm hug.

"Don't start this shit again, Matt." Tom whispered "It was a one time."

"Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't." Matt replied, chuckling to himself. "I gotta catch up to Jeff."

Again, Tom almost broke character. "You still willing to job for me?"

"Sure... what kind do you want? Hand job, blow job, rim job?" Matt answered, his dark eyes twinkling.

"Matt, there are ladies present!" Tom said, eternally gratefully that the Hardy entrance theme was drowning out this conversation.

"So? I don't want any of them." Matt whispered conspiratorially.

"We'll talk later. I think we should leave the ring before we embarrass each other any further."

This time, they left the ring, not as opponents, but as true blood kin. There was only one thing that would've made the performance better, but he was in Cameron, hiding out.

They didn't expect the entire locker room to be waiting for them, and to begin cheering the second they were off-camera.

"Great performance, guys!" Shawn led the cheers. Some of the guys wiped fake tears away.

"We can now put the Hardy feud to bed." Tom said, gratefully accepting a beer from someone. He chugged it, thankful for the refreshment. Beside him, Matt was downing his own beer.

Their celebration was short-lived, however.

"Matt, Tom... Vince needs you in his office right now."

"Oh boy." Tom said, quickly draining the last few drops of alcohol from the can. "I guess he didn't like it."

"He never likes it when we don't follow his scripts to the letter." Matt belched loudly. "Either than or he heard us earlier and wants a piece."

"Let's get this over with and hope you're not right." Tom sighed, flinging his empty beer can at the nearest receptacle. Like so many others, it missed badly.

Vince was on the phone in his office when Tom and Matt arrived. He was talking quite animatedly, and the TV was even on. This was quite unusual.

"I'll send them right away." Vince said, motioning for them to be seated while he finished. "Thank-you for calling Shannon."

Matt and Tom looked at each other. "Shannon?" Matt mouthed

Tom shrugged. "Our Shannon?"

"Guys, we have a bit of a situation." Vince said "By the way, nice match."

"Thanks, Sir, but what's goin' on?" Matt asked

"That was Shannon." Vince said, as if they hadn't been listening to the conversation. "He'd been trying to reach either of you for the past half-hour and couldn't."

"Obviously." Matt answered

"So he called me. I didn't get all of it, but I TVO-ed the last few minutes. It seems... well, I'll let you watch this first."

What Vince had recorded was the middle of a news flash. "SHOWDOWN IN CAMERON" flashed across the screen.

"And we're back with an update on a story that just broke less than an hour ago in the small town of Cameron, North Carolina. We now go live with Edrie Tolliver... Edrie!"

"Thank-you, Skip, I'm standing outside the residence of Jeffrey Hardy, former WWE superstar. Earlier today, Mr. Hardy barricaded himself inside the house when he was confronted by police, apparently to take him into custody for the death of former co-worker John Morrison. All attempts to reason with Mr. Hardy have failed and it is believed that he is armed and dangerous..."

Matt tuned out the rest of the broadcast, as did Tom.

"Vince, what the hell is going on here?" Matt demanded

"I was hoping you two would tell me!" Vince retorted "You two must know something!"

"Mr. McMahon I... it's... ah, fuck." Tom was stunned. "Sorry. It's just that I dunno what to tell you."

"Well, how about why nobody told me that Jeff was a suspect in this. Even though that does explain a lot." Vince clicked off the set when it became obvious that no one in the office was paying any attention to the news broadcast.

"We didn't know." Matt responded "The detectives told me I was a suspect."

"Same here." Tom answered

"All I know is that this is bad for business." Vince frowned "That is why I'm flying you both out there to take care of this problem. The corporate jet is waiting. I want this done quickly, quietly, and with as little publicity as possible."

"I don't think that's possible." Matt interjected "Most of the country already..."

"I don't care! Just do it! Unless you want to be put on the McMahon diet and suddenly lose twenty-five pounds in a matter of seconds! I've taken the liberty of having your stuff packed for you and it's already been stowed away. There's a shower and food and your street clothes waiting for you." The fact that Vince had already thought of everything put an end to any thoughts of refusal.

"Now?" Matt had to ask the dumbest question imaginable.

"No, three weeks from Tuesday... of course now!" Vince answered

Matt and Tom scrambled to be the first one out of the office, lest Vince make good on his threat.

"I am never hiring anyone with the name Hardy ever again!" Vince ruffled his hair. "Ever!"

Matt was the first to reach the plane. Since the knee injury, Tom's top running sped was only slightly faster than a child's and he lagged behind.

"C'mon!" Matt urged, already up the stairs while Tom hobbled, just into the parking area.

"I'm goin' as fast as I fuckin' can, Jesus Christ in a taxcab!" Tom shouted, his limp more pronounced with each step. "If you hadn't insisted on me trying a knee drop off the top rope, I wouldn't have this problem."

"Sure, blame me. C'mon!"

Grunting in pain, Tom half-ran, half-hopped up the stairs and onto the plane where he collapsed into the first chair, breathing heavily.

"As soon as we're airborne, I'm using the shower." Matt announced

"Whatever, man. Just don't take two hours like you usually do." Tom waved back.

"Strap in, gentlemen. We take off in five minutes." The pilot came into the passenger compartment, ticking off the last few items on his pre-flight checklist.

Tom got out of the front seat and strapped in next to Matt. He had a strange feeling that they were both going to need a lot of support from the other before their day was done. Almost before they had taxied, Matt asked the one question Tom wished he wouldn't.

"How did I manage to screw this up this badly?" He asked, his face taking on a sad puppy expression.

"You didn't screw up anything." Tom answered, patting his brother's leg. "This was always a possibility, although I never counted on Jeff barricading himself at the ole homestead."

"So what do we do when we get there?"

"I think we're supposed to talk Jeff into surrendering peacefully." Tom answered "And I would prefer it if we could do this without getting shot."

"Gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. Our flying time is just over two hours. The flight attendant will be around shortly with food and drink for you. At Mr. McMahon's request, however, the bar is off-limits for the duration of the flight. I am switching off the seat belt sign so feel free to move about the cabin and to make use of the facilities. Thank-you."

As soon as the announcement was made, both Matt and Tom threw them off and started moving around the plane.

"I'm grabbing my shower." Matt announced

"When you come out... of the shower, that is, we have to figure out what the hell we're gonna do when we land." Tom said "I don't mind admitting that I'm scared." He looked down at his hands and they were shaking.

"So am I, Tom. So am I." Matt sighed

"The news people said he was believe to be armed. Did Dad keep guns at the house?" Tom asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets in an effort to stop the shaking.

"He had a rifle he used for duck hunting. I don't remember if we disposed of it after his death or not. Right now, I can't think for stress." Matt flicked his hair back.

"I think we're both getting too worked up right now." Tom likewise flipped his hair off his forehead. "We've got two hours and if we don't calm the fuck down, we'll be in worse shape than Jeff is. Grab your shower, Imma gonna get something to eat."

"Yeah... shower..." Matt seemed in a bit of a daze.

"Matty... we'll get through this." Tom called

"I hope so." Matt sighed loudly.

Tom ate while Matt cleaned up. Despite the situation, he was famished and people believed that you thought better on a full stomach anyway, plus the tray full of cheese, crackers, and other appetizers looked too, well, appetizing to pass up.

"Damn, that was good." Once he'd ate his fill, Tom looked around the cabin. Matt still hadn't come back from washing up and according to his watch, it had been almost an hour. This came as a shock to Tom, but time was not what he was concerned about at that instance. He got up, wincing as he put weight on his knee again, and headed to the rear of the plane.

"Matty, you in there?" He tapped on the door. When there was no verbal response, Tom put his ear to the door and listened. He could hear nothing. No water running, no off-key singing, nadda.

"Matt? You okay?" Tom twisted the door knob and to his shock, it turned.

Tom stepped into the surprisingly large, for a plane that is, john and looked around. Matt's ring gear was haphazardly tossed into a pile on the floor, but of Matt, there was no sign.

"Matt?" Tom called "Brother?"

Tom listened, carefully stepping over the clothing. There was no place large enough for a person to hide except the shower, but Tom could see that there was no one in the stall through the translucent door. As he looked around, he saw a small alcove behind the stall that might have been large enough for a smaller person to hide in and as he tiptoed toward it, he heard the all-to-familiar sound of someone crying.

Matt had finally broken down. Tom wondered if maybe he should slowly back out of the room and pretend like nothing had happened.

"Worst he can do is push you away." Tom's conscience made up his mind for him. "But you are not going to let him. You both have to stay strong. If not for you, then for Jeff."

Tom stepped around the stall and there was Matt, fully dressed, curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Matty?" Tom said softly, not wishing to scare him.

If Matt heard, he gave no indication.

"Matty?" Tom repeated, crouching down beside him. It was a tight fit, but Tom managed, knowing his knee would thank him for this later.

Matt continued to disregard Tom, rocking back and forth with his cries.

"Matty..." Tom said a third time, eventually he hoped the right words would follow.

This time, Matt finally looked up, his red rimmed eyes answering all Tom's unspoken questions. This started a fresh bout of tears. Tom squeezed in even tighter and wrapped Matt in his arms.

"Matty... just let it out." Tom stroked his back, letting him cry it out of his system.

"I can't lose Jeffro. He's all I got." The harder Matt cried, the harder Tom held him. Right now, there was no words to would even come close to comforting him, so Tom didn't even try. He just held Matt the way he needed to be held, rubbing his back and whispering to him. Little by little, Tom felt the well start to dry up, but he wasn't going to go anywhere until he was sure Matt was good to go. Once the tears had slowed to trickles and the sobs had turned to sniffles, did he release his death grip.

"I can't lose him." Matt repeated, more in control now.

"We're not gonna lose him." Tom replied

"How do you know?" Matt asked "How do you fuckin' know?"

"Because we are not going to allow that to happen. You've forgotten one thing."

"What's that?" Matt wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

"There are only a handful of people who know what happened that night." Tom answered, speaking slowly so there would be no misunderstanding. "You, me, Jeff and maybe Shannon. As long as we stick together, everything will work out."

"But what if..."

"It ain't gonna happen." Tom answered without waiting for Matt to finish his thought. "I won't let it."

"Thanks Tom." Matt wiped his eyes. "I feel like such a fuckin' baby."

"Matty, before today is out, I'm probably gonna go to pieces too. I may need you in the same way." Tom laughed. Helping Matt had also helped ease some of the stress that had been coursing through his system as well. "Now, I hope you're okay because my knee is killing me. I gotta move." Tom cringed when he attempted to stand.

"Bro, stay." Matt stood up effortlessly and helped Tom to his feet.

"Once this is all over, you're gonna have that looked at. It still shouldn't hurt this badly." Matt frowned

"It probably wouldn't if I hadn't been inserting it into your midriff ten to fifteen times a night." Tom tried to take the weight himself, but one step was all it took for him to realize he'd royally messed it up.

"Shit." He cursed "Can you get me to the sink?"

"Yeah, bro. Lean on me." Matt took as much of Tom's two-sixty he could and they somehow made it across the bathroom floor, avoiding the still scattered clothing.

"Ah, thanks." Tom gritted his teeth, letting the cabinet take his weight instead of Matt. "I look like shit."

"You look a helluva lot better than I do." Matt looked at his own reflection.

"True." Tom joked "Could you grab my civvies for me? These clothes gotta come off."

"Sure. Don't hurt yourself while I'm gone." Matt got the garments for Tom. By the time he returned, Tom had shed his shirt, now drenched with his sweat and Matt's tears and was futilely attempting to get his ring boots off, which was difficult to do standing even when you weren't in an airplane with a busted kneecap.

"Dude, you're never gonna be able to do that with that wheel of yours busted up like that." Matt said, draping a clean pair of jeans and sport shirt onto a nearby chair, and kneeling in front of Tom to unlace his boots.

"Grab onto something... not me." Matt said, adding the last part when Tom's hands entwined themselves in his still-wet hair.

"This is embarrassing." Tom gritted his teeth, and grasped the basin for dear life as Matt, with exquisite tenderness, freed first his good leg, then his bad one from the confines of the footwear. "And just what are you doing?"

"Ummm..."

"I may be semi-crippled, but I can undo my own pants, thank-you very much." Tom feigned annoyance. "Now getting them off is another problem."

"That's what I'm here for." Matt replied eagerly.

"I can see that. Well, what are you waiting for?" Tom gestured.

Matt carefully pulled the garment off, noticing two things: one, how swollen a part of his anatomy was and two, how bad his knee looked. It looked like someone had driven a golf ball off it.

"I know that look, Matt." Tom groaned. Of all the rotten times for this to happen. "And we don't have time."

"I know." Matt answered wistfully. "But I can window shop, can't I?"

"Just grab me a towel and my pants." Tom chuckled

Not having time for even a brief shower, Tom made do with wiping himself off. Matt obligingly stood outside while he did so, taking consolation in the fact that Tom had sweated so much during their match that his shorts had clung almost transparently to his lower form. He waited patiently for Tom to either exit on his own or call for assistance.

"Matt... I could use a little help."

Matt opened the door, shielding his eyes (sort of). "You're not naked, are you?"

"Like you'd care if I was." Tom barked. "I can't seem to get these on."

Matt uncovered his eyes. Tom had managed to get his shirt, jeans, and one sock on. His other sock and his shoes sat on the counter top beside him.

"It's the least I can do." Matt quickly finished dressing Tom.

"Now if you can just make sure I don't fall on my ass getting back to my seat, I think we'll be okay." Tom felt so stupid. His own doctor had told him not to get back in the ring for at least six months, but out of fear of being terminated, Tom had forged a slip allowing him to return to action. And now he was paying for it.

"I think I can manage that." Matt said, draping Tom over his shoulders once more.

Once seated, they talked, and Matt ate until they were informed that they were about to make a final approach.

"We will be landing just outside the Hardy compound. The area has been cordoned off and I have been given clearance to land. Once we have landed, I have been instructed to ask you to remain on board. A member of the local police force will be coming aboard to brief you on the situation. Good luck, gentlemen."

Matt looked at Tom. Tom looked back, nodding understanding. He grabbed Matt's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Just keep it together." Tom said

"I'll try, Tommy." Matt exhaled

The plane landed expertly on the road that ran past the Hardy place. From the plane, they could see dozens of police cars, fire trucks, and even a couple of ambulances parked scattershot.

Matt and Tom waited patiently for the stairs to retract so they could be properly prepared for what was to come. It wasn't long before the Chief of Police, flanked by two FBI agents, entered the cabin, which quickly seemed a whole lot smaller.

"Matt... Tom... it's showtime."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Wow... here we go! Thanks to slashdlite for her help in writing this chapter... love ya babe!_

_For those of you who haven't, I sincerely urge you to check out "To Love Again". (Cheap pop I know!)_

_When I started writing this, I figured ten chapters tops... here comes chapter 19 and I'm nowhere close to wrapping this up... I hope the ending, whenever it comes, lives up to the hype!_


	19. Where Have All The Brothers Gone?

Where Have All the Brothers Gone?

"Matthew, Thomas... I don't know what you've heard so far, so let me bring you up to speed. We know Jeffrey is involved in this. All we wanted to do was take him down to the station for questioning. Y'know, at least get it on the record." Chief of Police Redebacher said, sitting opposite the two Hardys. The FBI men remained standing. "But he's refused to come out of his house."

"Why the FBI, though." Tom asked

"Two reasons... one is we believe that he is armed and the second is the Bureau is treating this as a hostage situation."

"Hostage? Jeff would never take anyone hostage!" Matt exclaimed

"While that may be true, we know he is not alone in the house." The Chief answered

"Shannon." Matt and Tom said unanimously.

"Yes. Shannon Moore. A friend of yours, I'd assume. Any time we've asked Jeff to talk to us, he sends this Shannon person out."

"Fuck. Why'd he have to involved Shanny in this?" Matt growled

"Okay, so what exactly is your plan for us?" Tom queried

"We need you to convince Jeff to come out."

"So you can shoot him?" Matt blurted "I don't think so." Tom also looked uncomfortable with the situation.

"I assure you, sir, that is not our intent. Justice would not be served in any sense if that were to happen. Jeff isn't even under arrest... yet."

"Christ." Matt leaned back in the seat. "And my life was perfect three hours ago."

Tom smirked. Three hours ago, Matt was had just emptied his balls into Tom's hair, among other places.

"You'll forgive my reluctance, Chief, but I don't always take the words of people I just met." Matt leaned forward. "What you're basically asking us to do is become negotiators, correct?"

"In a sense, yes."

"Then what are we prepared to offer, should Matt and I be able to convince Jeff to turn himself in?"

"Tom, you're not seriously considering helping these guys." Matt demanded

"Matt, if we don't, our friends with the firepower will probably do this the hard way. Do you really wanna see Jeff and Shannon hurt, or even killed?" Tom explained

"Listen to him." Redebacher said

"But you still haven't answered my question, Chief. What's in it for Jeff if we can make him surrender?"

"We guarantee that no harm will come to him if he turns himself in peacefully. As I stated, our intent is only to talk to him, find out his side of this." The Chief answered

"And do you speak for your buddies?" Tom was doing all the talking, a good thing under the circumstances.

"I do." For better of worse, he sounded believable.

"Before I jump in head first, can I have a few words with Matt?"

"Understandable. But we need to act fast." The trio of law enforcement officers deplaned, leaving only Matt and Tom in the cabin.

"Tommy, I don't believe them." Matt said

"Neither do I, but what choice do we have right now?" Tom leaned back in his own chair and closed his eyes. "If we don't, Jeffro is as good as dead. Hell, I don't care what the Chief said, but I'm positive that the second Jeff leaves the house, they arrest his ass."

"What are we gonna do?" The look of fear had returned to Matt's eyes and he trembled at the thought of what might happen.

"First thing we're gonna do is get Jeff a decent lawyer." Tom answered "Is there a law firm in town?"

Matt nodded. "There's not much of a criminal element in Cameron, but I think they have one or two defense lawyers. They handled Dad's estate."

"Good. That's a start. The second thing we're gonna do is talk to Jeff. Find out just what the hell happened!" With a Herculean effort, Tom extricated himself from his seat.

"How are you even gonna make it out of the plane?" Matt asked

"Don't worry about me, Matt." Tom said through tightly gritted teeth. "Just get me to Jeff."

Matt alighted first, then waited for Tom to hop down the stairs. He again used himself as a human crutch to get Tom to where the Chief and his hired guns were waiting.

"Okay, Chief." Tom panted. Even getting off the plane was taxing. "We don't like it, but we'll do it."

"Follow me." Their armed escort standing by, the other three walked, hopped, and otherwise ambled over to where several other officers were half-crouched behind a police car.

"Any change, Simpson?" Redebacher asked the only cop not in police blues.

"Nothing, Chief. He won't even acknowledge us."

"This is Darryl Simpson, we brought him in to negotiate, but as you have probably guessed, he hasn't had a lot of success."

"These are the brothers?" Simpson asked

"That's us. " Matt responded

"Anything you can tell us that might help would be appreciated." Simpson said "We're having a real hard time getting through to him."

"Let us talk to him." Tom suggested "Maybe he'll listen to me 'n Matt."

Simpson looked to the Chief, who shrugged. "Give it a shot."

A bullhorn was passed over. Tom took a deep breath, hoping that he could put the right words together.

"Jeff?" He shouted

No response from the compound. The silence was deafening.

"He's still not responding."

"Any signs of movement?" The Chief radioed to two of his officers who had better posts for surveying the house.

"Nothing, Chief." The radio crackled back.

"Okay. Keep me posted. Out." The Chief looked to Matt and Tom. "We don't even know if anyone's still alive in there. I'm tempted to send a couple men in."

"Give me one more shot at this!" The last thing Tom wanted to was have the deaths of two police on Jeff's hands as well. In his current state, that was exactly what might happen if Redebacher went ahead with plans to storm the compound.

"Jeff! Shannon!" He raised the bullhorn to his mouth. "Matt and I have just been flown halfway across the country to talk to you and I'll be Goddamned if we're gonna leave until we do."

Tom waited for a reply. "Okay, fine. If that's how you're gonna be. If you're not gonna come talk to Matt and I then I guess we're gonna have to come talk to you."

"I wouldn't recommend that." The Chief cautioned "We're pretty sure he has a weapon."

"Chief, I know Jeff is fucked up right now but I will bet my life that he isn't that fucked up to take a shot at me or Matt." Tom set the bullhorn down.

"Yeah. Jeffro may be a lot of things, but a serial killer isn't one of them." Matt answered, ironically given why they were here in the first place.

"Fine. I'll let one of you. That's it." He answered stubbornly. "I'm not willing to risk any more lives over this than I have to."

Matt and Tom looked at each other, silently echoing the other one's thoughts.

"I'll do it." They replied as one.

"Matt, don't be an idiot." Tom said "I'm goin' in."

"The hell you are, bro. I've known Jeff a lot longer than you. If anyone can talk some sense into him, it's me." Matt retorted

"Screw that, Matt." Tom barked "McMahon needs you a hell of a lot more than me. I'm replaceable. You're a dual champ."

"Fuck Vince and his titles. This is my little brother we're talking about!"

"Our little brother." Tom corrected "And I believe I am the older brother here. I'm going."

"Fine." Matt acquiesced, but then suddenly kicked Tom right in his bad knee. He collapsed against the car and with that momentary distraction, Matt ran to the house.

"Matthew!" Tom screamed in pain and frustration. "Get your ass back here!"

"Cover him." Redebacher shouted to his sharpshooters.

Matt fumbled in his pockets at the door, looking for something. "Dammit, where is it?" Finally his fingers closed around a shiny metal object that even Jeff didn't know he had. It was the master key to the house. In seconds, he was inside.

"You okay son?" While motioning for his boys to keep watch on the car, Redebacher turned back to the sole remaining Hardy, who was clutching his knee, in extreme pain.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Tom retorted, tears filling his eyes.

"Stretcher!" He shouted toward the nearby ambulance. "We got a wounded man!"

Matt tiptoed inside, using an exorbitant amount of caution just in case Jeff got spooked and decided to start shooting, assuming he was armed.

"J-J-Jeff? Shannon?" He called out, his fearlessness quickly disappearing. The house was quiet, too quiet.

"Jeffro? It's me... Matty? Wanna come out here so we can talk?" Matt crossed the living room, looking for any signs of life. He checked every room on the ground floor, including the closets, but Jeff wasn't in any of them.

"Jeff? I hope you didn't do anything stupid." Matt shouted up the stairs. "Jeff, I'm coming up." Taking a deep breath, he began to climb.

Outside, Tom was sitting in the back of the ambulance, having a freezing agent injected directly into his knee. After only a quick exam, Tom's worst fears were realized. The kneecap was completely broken this time. Matt's kick had finished off the job that had been started when Tom returned to action way too early.

"Fuck!" Tom leaned back on his gurney.

"What's the diagnosis?" Redebacher asked, coming over.

"It's broken, Chief. We're freezing it and we'll wrap it as tight as we can, but there ain't much more we can do until we get him to the hospital..."

"And I ain't leavin'." Tom gritted his teeth against the pain. "So don't even think about it."

"Will he be able to put any weight on it at all?"

"Once we're done here, we'll give him some crutches, so you should be able to walk a little."

"Good. Tom, it's been too long. We're sending you in."

"Understood." Tom answered, secretly relishing this opportunity.

"But we're not sending you in like that." The Chief held out a black covering.

"Do you really think that is necessary?" Tom asked. A bulletproof vest was not what he was expecting.

"Yes, I do. And we've done the research. We know you're legal so we want you to take this as well, strictly as a precaution..."

When Tom comprehended what the Chief was intimating, he bolted upright on the stretcher. "If you're talking about arming me, then you can just forget it! I'll wear the armor, but I will not go in with a gun!"

"Tom, think about this. We have no idea what's happened in there. For all we know, Matt's already dead..."

Tom opened his mouth to contradict the Chief, but the Chief cut him off with a wave. "I know what you're thinking, but I am telling you, based on my thirty years, that desperate people do desperate things."

"Chief, if I go in there with a gun, I'm as good as dead." Tom answered "You have to trust me a little on this."

Redebacher thought about it. Eventually Tom's words overruled his common sense.

"Fine. No gun," he conceded "but you're wearing the vest."

"Fine." Tom also conceded.

"Let me know when he's ready." The Chief returned to the front line. "Still nothing, Simpson?"

"Nothing. I'd kill to know what's goin' on in there." Simpson stared intently at the house. No sound, no movement, nothing had changed since Matt had stormed in.

"Me too." Redebacher sighed

"Jeffro?" Matt continued to call out, now on the upper floor. There were only four rooms: three bedrooms, one bath. Matt started checking them in turn, beginning with the room that had been Gil and Ruby's. He felt a real sense of longing when he entered and it suddenly struck him that this was the first time he'd been in here since Gil passed.

Just standing by the bed was enough to bring tears to Matt's eyes. He vividly recalled all the good times the four of them had shared in this very bed... Matt and Jeff running in on Christmas morning so they could all open their stockings from Santa before going downstairs to see what other goodies he'd left. Even after Mom had passed, the bed was always a source of comfort for him. Maybe that was why Gil had never gotten rid of it, even though he'd changed most of the furnishings in the house many times over the years.

He'd raised his boys to be men, but he didn't raise them not to feel.

"Dammit, Dad, why'd you have to leave me?" Matt asked "I can't do this by myself."

"I been askin' myself that same question for months, Matty."

Matt jumped at the voice. "God, Jeff, you're gonna give me a heart attack." He turned around. The person in front of him sure looked like Jeff, only he was wearing Itchweeed's makeup and he carried Dad's old hunting rifle. "It is Jeff, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." Jeff answered "Who'd you expect it to be?"

"It's just the face is..."

"I couldn't find my tiger paint." Jeff shrugged. "I talked to Itchweeed and he said it was okay... at least that's what I think he said. I don't understand the dude most days."

"Where's Shannon?" Matt asked

"Dunno. He left just before the party started. Why?" Jeff asked "Something's happened to him, hasn't it?"

"No..."

"Fuck! I knew I shoulda tied him to a chair and made him stay!" Jeff slammed his fist into the door.

"Jeff?" Matt grabbed his shoulders and faced him. "Nothing has happened to Shannon, I swear it. But it's one of the reasons we're here. Our friendly neighborhood Chief of Police thinks this is a hostage situation and we're supposed to be the negotiators."

"I know." Jeff answered "That other guy is a real jerk... Tommy's here?" His eyes brightened up. "Where is he?"

"Waiting outside. I kinda had to convince him that I was going in since they were only letting one of us come to talk." Matt said, quickly explaining what had happened outside.

"You hurt my Tommy?" Jeff pouted "How could you?"

"Jeffro, he's in a bit of bad shape to begin with. I couldn't take the chance of something going wrong." Matt stated

"Matty, what are we gonna do?" Jeff asked

"I don't know, Jeffro." Matt answered "I think this situation has gotten too extreme for team Xtreme."

"Matty, I'm not going with them." Jeff pleaded

"The Chief assured me that they just want to talk. You haven't told anyone your side of the story..."

"What am I gonna tell them... yes, Chief, I was really pissed off at Morrison after I caught him sucking off one of my friends so I cut his brake lines, thinking they were his gas lines. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I had other things on my mind!" Jeff retorted, waving his arms around frantically.

"Jeff, could you put the gun down?" Matt answered "I really don't feel like getting shot today."

"It ain't loaded." Jeff tossed it onto the bed. "You think I'm that stupid?"

"You may be a lot of thing, Jeffro, but stupid isn't one of them, although I kinda wish you'd thought this through a little better. I can't see how you're gonna get out of this." Matt sat on the bed, tracing the pattern in the quilt with his fingers.

"You said Tommy's here, right? Maybe he can help?" Jeff said, excitedly chewing his lip.

"How?" Matt asked "He's out there and we're in here."

"Well, get him in here." Jeff said sharply. "Do I have to think of everything?"

"No, but more than Thing One and Thing Two would be nice." Matt said "Wait here."

Without another word, Matt sprinted down the stairs and across the living room. "Here goes." He opened the front door and cautiously peeked out.

The police were waiting anxiously for something to happen. When the door opened, several fingers tensed around gun triggers.

"It's Matt." Tom recognized the dark hair immediately.

"Hold your fire... I repeat, hold your fire!" Redebacher shouted quickly.

"He won't come out unless he can talk to Tom." Matt shouted across the field.

"Is he ready?"

"As ready as possible." Tom hobbled over on his new crutches.

"You've got ten minutes, then I am sending my men in." Redebacher said

"Ten minutes." Tom gulped

"Ten minutes. Now go!"

Tom crossed the field as fast as his one good leg would allow him. At the door, Matt pulled him inside and once again, silence ensued.

"What the fuck, man?" Matt asked

"What do you mean what the fuck?" Tom gasped "You were the one who flat-out busted my knee with that kick of yours. Anyway, we have ten minutes before the blowhard sends his men in."

"Ten minutes! Jeffro, get down here!" Matt yelled

"Tommy!" Jeff grabbed him in a bear hug. Tom held him to one side, preventing any unnecessary contact with his now completely frozen knee.

"Jeffro! Man, I never thought I'd be this happy to see ya!" Tom returned the hug as best he could. "But time is short."

"I hope you got a plan, man." Matt said

"I do." Tom answered

"Yippee!" Jeff cheered

"Jeff, I need you to tell me everything you can remember about the night you cut Morrison's gas lines." Tom answered

"Why, Tommy?" Jeff asked

"Because Jeff, the only way you're gonna get out of this is if we can convince the police to charge you, yet make a jury think that someone else did it." Tom answered "And we have eight minutes."

"You're gonna take the fall for this?" Matt asked, Tom's plan suddenly making sense to him. "Tommy, you're crazy, bro."

"Jeff, start talking." Tom ignored Matt's comments, focusing instead on Jeff. "Seven minutes."

Tom listened intently as Jeff spoke, interrupting him occasionally for clarification.

"One last question... who signed you in?" Tom said, anxiously staring at his watch.

"Huh?"

"At the club... who signed you in?" Tom repeated

"I did. But I used my left hand." Jeff answered proudly. "I figured maybe they wouldn't be able to read it."

"Jeff Hardy! This is the FBI... If you do not come out of that house immediately with your hands in the air we will be coming in."

"Matt, go tell them that Jeff's coming out." Tom said "But stall them for a minute or two."

"Okay, bro."

"Okay, Jeff, this is what's gonna happen... you're gonna turn yourself in, but don't say anything until a lawyer shows up. Hopefully by then, Matt and I will have enough time to start throwing serious doubt at their case." Tom answered

"Tommy, I don't wanna go to jail!" Jeff pleaded

"You've played the devastated boyfriend up to now, just keep it up." Tom heard Matt shouting something to the police, who yelled something back. "Did you see the show?"

"Yeah."

"Then you know how much you're loved by both Matt and myself. There's nothing either of us wouldn't do for you right now." Tom said, holding Jeff tightly.

"Guys, we gotta go now." Matt returned "I told them that we're bringing Jeff out."

"Okay." Tom exhaled slowly. "Are we ready? This may be the last bang for team Xtreme plus one, so let's make it good."

Matt nodded, Jeff as well.

They stood at the door, all of their hearts racing. Very slowly Tom pushed it open and stepped outside, momentarily blinded by sunlight bouncing off the parked cars. Jeff followed, and Matt brought up the rear. They were immediately flanked by members of the FBI, who quickly separated Jeff from the other two and took him to a waiting squad car.

It was hard not to cringe at Jeff's face as he was driven away.

"So what's gonna happen to him?"

"He'll be taken downtown and processed..." Redebacher said

"Processed... what every happened to just a talk?" Tom demanded

"A talk? You're kidding, right. After all this?" He gestured at all the vehicles. "He's gonna be booked, no matter what."

"You asshole!" Matt muttered "I knew this was a set-up!" Matt lunged at him.

"Chill, Matt. You ain't helpin'." Tom blocked his progress with his left crutch. "We'll get him a lawyer."

"A good idea. And while you're at it, you should probably get one for yourselves as well. Matthew and Thomas Hardy, you're both under arrest for the murder of John Hennigan! You have the right to remain silent..."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Will Tom's plan work? It will if Matt does a better job convincing the police that Jeff didn't do it than he did convincing the WWE fans that he really hates Jeff!_


	20. The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm

The three holding cells at the Cameron Police station were full for a change, each containing a different member of the Hardy family while they waited for their legal representation to arrive. At the FBI agent's insistence, the brothers were being kept apart.

Matt paced his cell, angrily cursing himself for believing that pile of flab of a Police Chief. Had anything he'd said been the truth? There was no hostage situation, and as for his story about just wanting to talk, that was a load of crap.

Tom stared through the door of his cell, watching the activity in the precinct, likewise filled with anger. He'd called Vince after his arrest and Vince wasn't happy about the situation either. He'd promised to contact one of the regional offices to send required legal assistance to the jail immediately. Tom's own lawyer was based in Los Angeles, was not licensed to practice in New York State, and Tom had a really bad feeling that the prosecutors (if it got that far) would insist upon separate lawyers for each party.

Jeff sat on the cot in the cell, staring at the patch of floor between his feet. He'd retreated into himself the second the police had separated him from his brothers back at the house. He originally been furious at Matt and Tom for selling him out, but that was soon quashed when he saw them herded into the station shortly after, both wearing handcuffs.

"Matty... Tommy... what's going on?" He'd shouted

"Don't worry, bro. Lawyer's on the way." Matt had answered before being pushed away for booking. Tom just gave him a smile and a wink.

"I just hope Vince doesn't show up." Tom thought belatedly. "Mr. McMahon might end up getting us all convicted for the wrong reasons."

The local lawyers for Matt and Jeff arrived first and all four of them went into one of the larger conference rooms. Tom looked suspiciously at them all. Matt replied with only a shrug.

"Damn!" Tom kicked his cot and immediately collapsed as his bad knee took all the weight. "Fuck!" He screamed. The freezing had worn off a while back and the police weren't all that receptive to letting him wait in the hospital.

One of the civilian clerks looked up briefly, but then returned to her paperwork.

"Fuck!" Tom screamed again, this time louder, when he tried to at least roll himself onto his bed. "A little help here!"

One of the uniforms from the powdered donut division came over. "What are you yelling about?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's the fact that I've got a broken fuckin' knee here and you idiots won't even let me have something to hold onto while I'm rotting away." Tom said, still on the floor.

"Not my fault." The cop replied

"No... it's my fault for listening to that pig-headed ball of flab that passes for a Chief of Police in this town!" The only cool that remained in Tom's system was in his ass from being in continuous contact with the floor of the cell.

"This is police brutality!" Tom screamed "When my lawyer gets here, I'll make sure that none of you have jobs!"

"I'll see what I can do." The uni did feel a little sympathy toward Tom, though not much. He knocked on the door where the Chief was conducting the interviews with the other two Hardys.

"Yeah, Benson?" Redebacher asked

"Chief, can I get the doctor in here to check that guy's knee. He looks like he's in pretty bad shape."

"Let him sweat it." Redebacher replied

Matt and Jeff looked at each other, nervously. Their respective lawyers scribbled on their respective legal pads.

"He's yelling about police brutality. I'm a little worried about what's gonna happen when his lawyer does get here." Benson added

At the words 'police brutality', Redebacher's position abruptly reversed. "Get him looked at. But if he's fakin' it, it's on your hands. Remember, he's a wrestler."

"Don't worry, Chief." Benson stepped back out.

"Now where were we?" Redebacher turned back to the thick case file.

"You still haven't told us why we're here." Jeff's lawyer said "From what you told my client, you were only bringing him in to talk."

"And that's what we're doing... talking." Chief R smiled at Jeff, an evil, toothy grin that was better suited on either a politician or a horror movie psycho. Jeff gulped nervously.

"Agent Tyson. Why don't you take Matthew and his lawyer into my office and finish up his paperwork while Jeff and I have our chat." That grin was back.

"This way, gentlemen." Matt was eternally grateful that his lawyer had already arrived. He had visions of being in a room alone with a FBI agent that weren't pleasant. Too much NYPD Blue for his own good.

"I'm gonna be honest with you. Things don't look good right now for you." Redebacher leaned back in his chair. "We know that you caught your boyfriend with another man. I don't approve of that, but if I ever caught my wife with one of my co-workers, I'd want to do something about it."

"It wasn't like that... I loved John!" Jeff wailed

"You probably did. You were just angry, weren't you?"

"A word alone with my client please." Jeff's lawyer interrupted. This interview had not started off on a good foot.

"It'll go a lot easier if you talk to us now rather than later." Redebacher left the room to allow Jeff and his lawyer time to confer.

"Good news, Chief?" Benson returned, a steaming coffee in his hand.

"We got him." The chief answered, a slightly amused expression adorning his face.

"Good. We got other problems, though." Benson replied

"Not that police brutality thing. I told you to get that idiot Hardy some medical attention!" Redebacher barked

"We taken care of that idiot Hardy... it's the other one. He and his lawyer are yelling about entrapment!" Benson sipped the hot liquid.

"Entrapment! Tell me another one."

"His lawyer is yapping about how you lied to his client on the plane. He said that you never had any intention of just talking to Jeff and that you used him and Tom to effect the arrest." Benson shrugged his shoulders. "Any truth to it?"

"Are you questioning me, patrolman?" The chief yelled.

"Whatever, boss. It's your career if the shit hits the fan!" Benson walked away. Redebacher strummed his fingers against the window for a moment. He'd toed the line pretty close on some of his cases, but this time he might have gone too far.

"Oh, well." He thought "I'm retiring in a few months anyway."

He re-entered the room. Jeff and his lawyer were looking at him expectantly.

"My client is willing to co-operate fully, providing you leave the rest of his family out of this."

"I can't make any promises." Redebacher replied

"Then bring someone in here who can. Until then, my client says nothing." Jeff's lawyer leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. Trying to look cool, Jeff emulated the same posture.

"I'll be right back." Redebacher went back to his office where Matt's lawyer and Agent Tyson were engaged in a very loud discussion about the Bill of Rights.

"Tyson, who's in charge of this case?" Having to defer to what he laughingly called "Bureau Boys" was not something the local chief enjoyed.

"Schiff, I think." Tyson answered

"Get him down here. Hardy's ready to crack but he wants assurances." Redebacher said, slamming the door.

"Looks like I won't be needing you after all." Tyson sneered

"You're full of it!" Matt said, not the least bit phased. Having Vince McMahon yell at him had toughened him up enough so that the verbal rape he'd been receiving from the G-Man hadn't bothered him much.

"Whatever." Tyson say down and started ruffling papers.

Matt quickly whispered to his lawyer.

"Agent Tyson. What if my client is willing to make a full confession?"

"If you're lying to protect your brother..."

"I'm not." Matt answered "I did it. I killed Morrison."

"You wanna tell me how you did it?" Tyson asked

"Not until we have something in writing from the D.A." Matt's lawyer answered

"I'll see what I can do." Tyson sighed

Tom was trying to get comfortable on his bunk his knee freshly frozen and wrapped. The police still refused to allow the doctors to take Tom to the hospital to get his knee worked on.

"He's not gonna die, Doc. For Chrissakes, just wrap it up so he'll stop complaining."

"Fine. But should it become infected or anything, I will hold this department personally responsible!"

"It won't." The doctor whispered, finishing up. "I just like to make them sweat."

"Thanks, doc." Tom smiled

The outer door banged open suddenly. Vince McMahon, the power-walking, grapefruit swinging, tough-as-diamonds, Chairman of WWE strode into the waiting area and confronted the hapless clerk.

"Who's in charge here?" He demanded

"Uh, that would be Chief Redebacher, sir. And you are..."

"I am Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Tell your Chief I am here to see Thomas Hardy!" Vince towered over her.

"R-r-right away, sir." The clerk backtracked to the Chief's office, never once taking her eyes off the imposing figure of the Chairman.

Redebacher was waiting for Schiff to return his call or at least give him some indication of how to proceed when he was accosted by the clerk.

"Chief, there's some guy who says he's here to see Tom Hardy. He says his name is McMahon..."

"Vincent Kennedy McMahon!" The Chairman boomed from across the room.

"If the doc's finished with him, show him to the cells."

Tom had listened to the exchange. The jet must've taken off the moment Matt and Tom were also taken into custody, picked up the chairman and flown right back.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Vince barked

"Right this way, sir." Vince was escorted to the holding cells.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" What exactly Vince was referring to was unclear. The arrests, the state of Tom's knee, the economic downturn, who knew?

"Hello, Mr. McMahon." Tom said

"Tom Hardy, I expect an explanation for all this." McMahon yelled "And it better be pretty damn good. Mr. Lassiter, Tom Hardy. Tom, this is Frank Lassiter, your lawyer."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Lassiter asked "Mr. McMahon, it might be better if you let us talk privately."

"The hell I will. I have too much money invested in you and Matt to be kept in the dark!" Vince bellowed. "I've already had to redo story lines once this quarter thanks to someone named Hardy, I'll be fucked if I'm gonna do it again!" Vince shouted

"Very well. I assume you don't have a problem with that, Mr. Hardy?" Lassiter asked

"If I had a problem with it, I'd be lookin' for a job within five seconds." Tom answered "How're Matt and Jeff?"

"Handling it reasonably well, I assume. I've been told than once Matt stopped yelling about entrapment and Jeff stopped asking for Skittles, that everything was close to civil." Lassiter removed his own legal pad and pen and beckoned for a chair to sit on.

"Mr. McMahon, I might suggest you get a coffee or something. I am really concerned that if something comes out here, you're integrity might get called into question, as well as the point of lawyer-client privilege." Lassiter said, making himself comfortable.

"I'll could use another coffee." Vince complied

"How that man needs more caffeine in his system is beyond me." Lassiter stared at Tom.

"Mr. Hardy, or can I call you Tom?"

"Tom's fine."

"Let's start at the beginning..."

"Okay... I killed Morrison and this is how I did it..."

When Attorney Schiff arrived at the police station the next morning, he was confronted by a very annoyed Chief of Police, a very irritated FBI agent Tyson and a very hyper WWE Chairman McMahon. A very calm Frank Lassiter stood off to one side, reviewing his lengthy notes from his interview with Tom.

"What the hell is going on here?" He demanded "I just flew red-eye and this better be good."

"We'll talk in my office, Mr. Schiff." Redebacher was not as confident as he'd been earlier. Especially now that he had three people, willing to confess to the same crime, for essentially the same reason, with similar conditions. All three Hardys were willing to cop to murdering John Morrison, individually, if the District Attorney was willing to waive all charges against the other two.

Redebacher, Tyson, and Schiff adjourned to the Chief's office.

"Did I hear that right?" McMahon demanded

"I think so, sir." Lassiter answered "You have to admit, it's an interesting legal strategy."

"Interesting legal strategy, my ass. It'll probably get them all convicted, especially if they have to rely on the acting ability of Matt Hardy! I swear to you, if we gave out a Slammy for least convincing heel portrayal, he'd win hands down! Where are they now?"

"I can find out for you, sir." Lassiter stepped away.

In Redebacher's office, the facts of the case were being laid out in front of Schiff.

"The way I see it, two of them are obviously covering up for the third." The chief announced

"Very astute. Now I know how you became Chief of Police in this backwater burg in the first place." Schiff barked "But you know as well as I that if we parade this in front of a jury, we'll look like idiots." He slammed the three reports on the desk angrily. "Tyson, you're supposed to be the FBI's bright boy of the week, what do you make of this?"

"In my opinion, we have one of two options... either we charge all three of them with the crime and maybe you get lucky enough to get a judge to order separate trials, or we don't do anything right now..."

"Even though one or more of them is a murderer!" Redebacher shouted back. "After all the man hours I put on this case!"

"That will do, Chief. Finish your idea, Tyson."

"It's your call. I highly suggest that we hold them for a couple days, keep talking to them. Maybe one of them will crack." Tyson said "My money's on Jeff. He seems to be the weakest of the trio, as well as the youngest."

"I agree." The chief added, desperate to get back on Schiff's good side. "Other than their supposed confessions, neither of the other brothers have been very cooperative with our investigation. Even before we considered them suspects."

"Is there anyone else that might have had means, motive, or opportunity to commit the crime?" Schiff asked "I mean, before I get my ass handed to me at trial even more."

"There is this Shannon Moore character. We know he was at the house just after we arrived, but he dropped out of sight shortly after."

"Did anyone actually see him leave?"

"I dunno."

"You don't know?!?!?! Well, go back to the house and see if you can find him. If not there, just find him and bring him in."

"Is he a suspect?" Redebacher asked, and immediately regretted it.

"Right now, everyone's a suspect. I'd exhume their dead father if I thought he knew anything!" Schiff's face was not a nice shade of red. "I'm flying out in three hours and I do not want to be summoned back here until we have a case that will stand up in court. Am I clear on this!"

Tyson and Redebacher left the office, similarly chastised. Lassiter looked on, a smile on his face. Under the pretense of copying some files for the other two attorneys, he'd heard everything and was able to start forming an idea.

The three Hardys stewed their respective cells only a few feet away..

"How are you two holding up?" Tom asked

"I'm fine. Can't say the same for Jeff." Matt replied

"You okay, Skittles?" Tom shouted down.

"I miss Bunny." Jeff lamented "They won't let me see her."

"Well, that's not very fair, is it?"

"Yeah. They said that since she wasn't my lawyer, I can't see her." Jeff scrunched up his face.

"That's cruel and unusual punishment." Matt said

"Uh-huh. I wonder if they're gonna feed us at some point." Tom said, feeling his stomach growl. "I'm used to eating every four hours whether I need it or not."

"Yeah. My stomach's already forgotten the stuff we had on the plane." Matt stated

"Hey, Lassiter, what the hell's going on? When are we going to get outta here?" Tom shouted at his attorney.

"I am not a magician, Mr. Hardy." Lassiter replied, unwilling to say much more lest the fact that he was eavesdropping get out. "You may be in here until your arraignment."

"Any good news?" Tom replied

"Some. I have come up with a viable strategy. I'm just finishing the preliminary work, then I will be meeting with all the lawyers. I believe I know a way we can beat this... all of us." Lassiter answered

"That's the first real good news I've heard all day." Tom sighed. Matt and Jeff both perked up at this.

"But what I need now is for all three of you to sit tight and most of all, keep your mouths shut. I don't care what they offer, say nothing without a lawyer present." Lassiter slid the pages he'd finished copying into his attache. "I cannot stress that enough."

"Got that Jeffro?" Matt said

"Uh-huh, Matty. Keep my big mouth shut." Jeff answered "But what if say I can have Bunny?"

"I will see what I can do about getting your, ahem, accommodations changed." Lassiter announced "Possibly Mr. McMahon can do something. I hear he has a few friends in high places."

Lassiter departed the holding area. Shortly after, they were brought food, but it was the typical greasy-spoon fare one would expect. The trio tore into with with gusto nonetheless.

They spent the night in the cells, and were arraigned in front of the judge the next morning. The lawyers did a real good job, convincing the judge to allow bail, something that wasn't usually done in capital cases.

"Bail is set at ten million each, cash or bond." The judge banged the gavel.

The trio of lawyers quickly conferred with each other. "Very well, Your Honor, we will be posting bail immediately."

The expression from the judge was clearly one of surprise. He'd set high bail, figuring that they would not be able to raise the money quite so soon.

The Hardys were waiting back in holding when they'd received the good news that their bail was paid and they were free.

"Hardys... you're free to go!"

"Free to go?" Tom repeated "How'd that happen?"

"We had someone prepared to post your bail." Lassiter announced

"Best news I've heard all day. C'mon, bros, we're outta here."

As soon as Matt and Jeff were done signing autographs, the three Hardys left the cell.

"I wonder who coulda sprung us?" Matt asked

"I did." Vince McMahon was waiting for them. "I have invested many hours and dollars into you... all of you, although you have repaid my trust in very interesting ways. " His last words were clearly directed as Jeff, who shrank behind Matt and Tom. "I just expect a good return on my investments."

"We do appreciate it, Mr. McMahon, but we're sorta stuck here while we wait for trial. We had to surrender our passports."

"Do not worry about that. I'll find a way to make sure you meet all your contractual obligations." Vince snickered "Particularly you, Matthew. I can't have my Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion unable to defend his titles, now can I?"

"No, sir." Matt replied

"As for you," Vince looked at Tom "we'll figure something out."

"What about me?" Jeff asked

"What about you? As I recall, you quit on me!" Vince retorted "If there's one thing I hate, it's a quitter!"

"Sorry." Jeff sniffled

"Correction. There's only one thing I hate more than a quitter... and that's a crybaby. For God's sake, Jeff, grow up!"

Jeff started to cry at the words.

"That was uncalled for, sir." Matt interjected "Jeff might not be perfect, but..."

"Matthew, don't make me regret putting my faith, and my money, behind you. I'll see you both later." Vince finished what he was there to do, namely springing two of his superstars and Jeff, and power-walked away.

Matt took two steps toward Vince, but Tom held him back.

"Matt... things are going well. Don't screw it up over a fit of anger." He whispered

"But Vince had no right to..." Matt defended his brother.

"No, he didn't. But what's done is done." Tom answered, a little peeved at Vince as well.

"Matthew, Jeffrey, Thomas Hardy... right this way. We'll get you processed as fast as possible."

Outside the courthouse, the Hardys stood, taking it all in.

"What do we do now?" Matt asked "We can't go home, can we?"

"I think our plans are pretty much taken care of." Tom pointed. A black limo was parked nearby. Vince himself was standing beside it, as were all three of their respective attorneys.

"Hardy's, let's go!" Vince barked

"Does he own us now?" Matt asked

"In a way, he does. It's his money on the line. If we fuck up, it's on his head." Tom replied

"I wonder if it's too late to go back to jail." Jeff whispered

"Now!" Vince shouted

"Suddenly, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Matt muttered

The Hardys, their lawyers, and Vince all climbed into the car. A storm was on the way, but who would survive?

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Forget Eric and Lyle Menendez, the trial of the Hardy Boyz is coming! _

_Thanks to dehlia666 for the title suggestion._

_More twists and turns to follow.  
_


	21. Brothers Gonna Work It Out

Brother's Gonna Work It Out

"So let me get this straight." Schiff demanded. He was conferencing with the agents investigating the Morrison case. "We have what exactly?"

"If we could combine the evidence against all three of them into one, we'd have an airtight case." Tyson answered "But right now, the best we have is circumstantial against any one of the three."

"What about the signature?"

"The good news is we know it was written by a left-handed person. The bad news... only one of the Hardy's is a south paw and it doesn't even come close to his writing."

"What about the other two?" Schiff asked, feeling his blood pressure rise with each minute that went by.

"Their signatures were so illegible with their left hands that we couldn't even get a partial match." Tyson answered

"What about the club employees?"

"We've talked to everyone who worked that night. One of the bartenders remembers Morrison being there, but he said he was with someone. No one recalls seeing any of the Hardys there that night." Redebacher added

"None of them? That's not what I wanted to hear!"

"None, sir." Redebacher "We combed through their alibis and that got us nowhere either."

"Well, what witnesses we do have saw the deceased drive away sometime after midnight, so we know that whoever cut his brake lines must've done it prior to that, but after ten o'clock, when he arrived at the club. Matthew has an airtight alibi. He was at the arena until nearly midnight and could not have driven over there in time to do it." Tyson said, referring to his notes.

"Okay, so that eliminates Matthew. What about the other two?" Schiff demanded "Don't tell me their alibis are airtight as well!"

"The other two... their only alibi is each other. From what we know, shortly after the incident with Morrison, Jeff apparently quit the WWE. Following that, he moves in with Tom, but that doesn't mean he didn't sneak out and do it while Tom was asleep. The same goes for Tom..."

"Wrap it up for me, Tyson. We can't convict all three, I'm sure of that... who do we have the best chance of nailing?" Schiff asked

"Based on what we know, Jeff." Tyson answered

"Fine. Drop the charges against the other two." Schiff answered "Offer the kid a deal for man-1, five to ten and see what happens. If he doesn't take it, we're going to trial."

When Matt had innocently asked if posting bail meant Vince owned them, he wasn't far from the truth. When they weren't doing something for Vince, they were confined to their hotel room. It wasn't bad, the accommodations, but days of room service and cable TV were starting to fray their nerves.

"I'm fuckin' bored, man!" Jeff threw the remote control across the room.

Tom looked over from where he was lounging on a bed, trying to do the New York Times Crossword. "You know a thirteen letter word for lack of stimulation?"

"How about... fucking bored?" Jeff replied

"Doesn't fit... third letter's an 'm' and fucking bored only has twelve." Tom tapped the paper, thinking. "Got it... unmasturbated."

"Is that even a fuckin' word?" Jeff asked

"Yeah." Tom answered "You want me to use it in a sentence?"

"I dare ya, dude."

"Okay... my little brother is a bit edgy because his dick has been unmasturbated for days." Tom said, enjoying the blush it brought to little Jeffy's face.

"It has not!" Jeff protested

"I know." Tom said "Matt and I can hear you in the bathroom. And you said he was the loud one."

Jeff pouted. "At least you get to leave the room. I'm stuck here."

"Would you rather be stuck in a jail cell?" Tom demanded "I'm sure you'd have tons of fun there!"

"Fuck you, Tommy." Jeff stuck out his tongue.

"Look, Jeff, I know it's tough. But you have to look at the alternatives." Tom threw his paper on the bed and rolled off. "Hell, I'm not getting out much either."

"Yeah, but at least Vince lets you leave!" Jeff whined

"Yeah. I get to go to maybe two TV tapings a week and for what? I'm a former IC champ and now look at me... I'm reduced to carrying the belts for Matt like a glorified valet! This is not how I pictured my career going!" Tom hopped over to the other bed and rolled beside Jeff.

"At least you still have a career." Jeff sulked. He sometimes forgot that he would still have a career, and possibly still be the Champion, if he wasn't so impetuous.

"We've been over this a hundred times before." Tom clasped his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

"I know." Jeff sighed "I'm such a fuck-up sometimes, I don't know how you and Matt can stand to be around me."

"Jeffro, you're no more of a fuck-up than any other member of this family." Tom turned his head. "Y'know, if you were as perfect as you think everyone wants you to be, then you'd be no fun at all." He flicked Jeff under the chin.

Jeff swatted Tom's arm away. Tom swatted Jeff right back and this soon turned into a friendly scuffle on the bed, ending with Tom pinned underneath Jeff.

"Say it." Jeff demanded, tickling Tom who erupted in squeals.

"No... Never!" Tom fought back as hard as he could, but Jeff was determined.

"Say it!" Jeff repeated, continuing the tickle assault.

"I love you!" Tom shouted

Jeff suddenly stopped the assault, looking deep into Tom's eyes. "I love you too." He leaned in for a kiss.

"I know you do." Tom returned the kiss, his tongue swiping across Jeff's full lips before parting them softly. Jeff opened to allow his brother's tongue entrance and their tongues danced with each other for several moments before Tom broke it.

"Jeff... one across. Release... six letters."

"Oooh... orgasm." Jeff answered "My turn: five down... oral stimulation, often leading to one across... two words, four letters and three letters."

"Easy one. Blow job." Tom answered

"Ten across... occasion for five down... three letters, last one is w."

"Now?" Jeff asked

"You're pretty good at this." Tom pushed Jeff's groin into his.

"I had a good teacher." Jeff gasped, feeling Tom's erection brush against his.

"So, would like a five-down, ten-across?" Tom teased Jeff.

"Yessss." Jeff hissed, Tom's touches sending sparks right to his crotch.

Tom's fingers toyed with the snap on Jeff's pants, tugging the material until his finally gave. Jeff's zipper parted with the same ease.

"For someone who's been stimulating himself regularly, you sure are ready to go." Tom eyed the jockey-covered swelling with relish, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Mmmm..." Jeff moaned wordlessly.

"I believe that's a yes. Remind me to get an English-to-Imagi-nation dictionary." Tom joked, tracing the still-concealed swelling with his lips. Jeff bucked his hips impatiently. When he was this aroused, fuck the foreplay and get to the good stuff.

"Easy, tiger. Don't want you to shoot too soon." Tom continued his gentle massage of Jeff. As he was getting ready to pull off the shorts, the phone rang.

"Don't you dare answer that." Tom ordered

"But it's Matty." Jeff pushed away and grabbed his phone off the table.

"Hiya, Matty... what's up?" Jeff sat up, listening intently.

Tom tried to slide in and get a nibble or two of Jeff's neck, but he swatted Tom away.

"Fine." Tom got off the bed and hobbled to the door. No sooner had he opened it, then two policemen stuck their heads inside.

"Need something?" One of them asked

"Food. Jeffro's outta Skittles." Maybe a little bribery would get Jeff back in the mood. Tom handed several dollar bills to the nearest one.

"How many do you want?" he asked

"As many as you can get." Tom closed the door. He turned around, right into Jeff.

"Oh God, you scared me." He clutched his chest.

"Matty wants to talk to you." Jeff held out the phone.

"Thanks. When the cop gets back, let me know." Tom took the phone and cradled it in the small of his neck. "Sup, Matt?"

"Tom, I need a huge favor." Matt answered

"Anything, bro, name it." Now it was Jeff's turn to get cuddly and be pushed away.

"I just heard from my lawyer. They're dropping the charges against us." Matt responded

"That's good news." Tom exclaimed

"Us as in you and me. They're goin' to try to pin this on Jeff." Matt added

"Oh." Tom said, looking over at Jeff.

"I hate to pin this on you, but could you tell him? I'll probably screw it up big time." Matt asked

"Me? Why me?"

"You and Jeff have a bond. I think it'll sound better coming from you." Matt justified.

"You're shitting me!" Tom shouted

"Please, Tom. I wouldn't ask but..."

"Fine Matt. I'll do it. When are you coming back?"

"A couple hours, bro."

"Bring beer. I have a feeling we're gonna need it tonight." Tom hung up the phone and looked at Jeff, happy with his fresh stash of Skittles the cop had provided.

"Mmm... Skittles... thank-you Tommy!" Jeff kissed Tom, already tasting sugary.

"You're welcome, bro." Tom sighed "Here's your phone."

"What'd Matt want to talk to you about?" Jeff demanded

"Uh, yeah..." Tom hesitated, running his fingers through his hair.

"It's not good, is it?" Jeff guessed

Tom flopped down on the bed, rubbing his forehead with his palms. Jeff bounced down beside him.

"Jeff... dammit, why do I always get the dirty jobs?" Tom answered

"Don't make me tickle you again." Jeff poked him in the ribs.

"Jeff, you're probably gonna hear from your lawyer real soon, so maybe he can give you all the details, but I'll tell you what Matt told me... the charges are being dropped..."

"Yay!"

"...against Matt and me." Tom said "They're going after you."

The Skittles fell in a multicolored mess on the floor.

"Tommy?" Jeff asked, his face scrunching up. "What am I gonna do?"

"You're going to fight this like you've fought every other pile of crap that's been tossed at you in your life." Tom answered, gathering Jeff in his arms. "And you're gonna come out of this stronger than before."

"But what if I go to jail?" Jeff whimpered, snuggling into Tom's chest in a little ball.

"Let me tell you something. The prosecution is going to have a real difficult time proving their case, no matter who they charge. They can't use anything either Matt or I said because if they do, your lawyer can pull out our confessions and there's more than reasonable doubt right there." Tom stroked Jeff's hair. "As for whatever else they have, the only valid argument I can see them coming up with is your hiding out, but I'm sure your lawyer can answer that too."

"But what if you're wrong?" Jeff cuddled closer.

"Have I ever been wrong?" Tom asked

"Mm-hm." Jeff answered "Lotsa times."

"But this ain't one of them." Tom stated "Jeff, you're not going to jail."

"If you say so." Jeff didn't seem convinced.

"Look at me." Jeff raised his eyes to meet his brothers. "You are not going to go to jail. As long as Matt and I are around, you have nothing to fear. Why don't you get your Bunny and relax... where is the little varmint anyway?"

"I dunno." Jeff answered

"You dunno. You, Jeff Hardy, don't know where Bunny is? What... did you two have a fight?"

"Uh-huh. I told her I was too old to be hanging around her so much." Jeff reached for his candy.

"You did what?" Tom repeated. Jeff tossing away Bunny was unheard of. Tom had heard stories from the locker room about how close they were, even to the point of making another wrestler apologize for hurting her feelings.

"I'm almost thirty-two, Tom. I don't need a... a... Bunny!" Jeff sniffled

"It looks like somebody does need his Bunny." Tom whispered "Just stay here for a minute, I'll be right back."

Tom waltzed into the bathroom, leaving Jeff curled up with a pillow. While he made enough noise to make it sound like he was doing normal bathroom activities, he reached on top of the medicine cabinet and pulled down his shaving bag. Inside it was not his usual shaving accessories, but an emergency item he thought he might need at some point.

"You still there?" Tom called

"Where would I go?" Jeff responded, thickly. Either he was crying again or his face was buried in the pillow, Tom couldn't tell.

"Just hold tight. I'll be right out." Tom brushed a few loose bits of fluff off the tiny object. "I hope this works."

"Now, I've atoned for some of my mistakes, and I think it's time for you to do the same..." Tom stuck his surprise in Jeff's face. "apologize to Bunny!"

"Bunny?" Jeff said, his face still covered by the pillow. "She's gone."

"Jeffro? Bunny!" Tom tickled Jeff's exposed neck with the rabbit's ear.

Tom waited while one eye peered out from beneath. "She still loves you too. Even though you hurt her by saying those nasty things. Here... you two talk while I see about getting some food up in here."

Tom planted the stuffed animal on the bed beside Jeff and went to order some room service. He looked over just once to see that Jeff was actually apologizing to her. Well, how would you feel... after twenty-five or so years with someone, to tell you that they're too old for you... you'd be pissed off too!

"Bunny?" Jeff looked into her eyes.

Bunny looked back sternly.

"Bunny, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry." Jeff wiped his eyes.

Bunny's expression didn't change. She still looked at Jeff, burning through him with her plastic eyes.

"Bunny, I love you. I missed you. I need you." Jeff gently stoked what was left of her fur. Twenty-five years worth of shedding had left her with a much thinner coat.

Bunny fell over, her ear brushing Jeff's hand. He looked up from where he was prone on the bed, his eyes wet from his most recent emotional outburst.

"Bunny?" Jeff asked

"I think you're forgiven." Tom sat on the bed and tousled Jeff's hair.

Jeff grabbed both Tom and Bunny in a group hug.

"Blahhhh!" Tom gagged. Jeff's grip was choking him. "Easy, bro."

Jeff planted several kisses on both Bunny and Tom's faces. "I love you so much!" Just whom that comment was directed at was unclear.

"We love you too, Jeffro. Now I ordered dinner... Spaghetti and meatballs." Tom asked

"Yay, sketti! Hear that Bunny, Uncle Tommy got you your favorite." Bunny whispered something to Jeff.

"Bunny says thank-you." Jeff wiggled it in Tom's face.

"Tell Bunny, she's welcome."

"But next time, could she not travel in your shaving kit... she says it smells like sex." Jeff asked

"Tell Bunny she's too young to think things like that." Tom put on his best shocked face. "Now, both of you, wash up. Dinner will be here soon."

Bunny and Jeff danced into the bathroom and Tom soon heard the sounds of the water.

"Both yer paws." Tom shouted

"We know." Jeff stuck his head out.

"Just hurry up." Tom sighed, suddenly wondering if the cops were still outside the door. Maybe Vince had heard the "good" news and had lessened their security. He decided to check.

"Something we can get you?"

"Yeah, dinner's on its way. Bring it in the second it arrives." Tom was wrong. The ever-vigilant guards were still posted.

"Yes, sir." The cops saluted sarcastically.

"We're ready." Jeff said proudly. He and Bunny were seated at the dinette, ready for dinner. Bunny even had her bib on, made from one of the Hardy Boys garish fluorescent-green shirts.

"Bunny's eating with us tonight, is she?" Tom asked with overt surprise in his tone of voice.

"Yeah. She washed her paws and everything." Jeff showed Tom Bunny's clean hands.

"Okay. Just checking, Jeffro." Tom said. "What would Bunny like to drink? I ordered a bottle of red wine with dinner. Matt should be bringing beer with him, so I thought one bottle would be enough... I didn't know we were having company."

"Bunny doesn't drink." Jeff responded as if it was obvious.

"Good... ah, here's dinner."

One of their guards wheeled in their dinner on a silver cart. Jeff and Tom dug in, Bunny just picked at her food.

They were just finishing up their meal when Matt arrived, two cases of beer in his muscular arms.

"Hey, Matt, lemme give you a hand." Tom slid out from the table to take some of the weight off his brother.

"Thanks, bro... what a night!" Matt sighed, tossing his gym bag aside. "Did you tell him?" He mouthed

Tom nodded. "Dinner's on the table. We saved you a plate."

"Tommy ordered sketti!" Jeff exclaimed happily.

"That was nice of him... did you say thank-you?"

"Mm-hmm... Bunny did too." Jeff replied

Matt looked at Tom, eyebrows raised questioningly. Tom shook his head in a 'don't ask' motion.

While Matt ate, they talked about his day. Matt was pulling double duty, still holding two titles, and even though it was only a house show, he still had defenses of both belts.

"Why hasn't Vince taken one of them off of you yet?" Tom asked, sipping the last of his wine.

"I dunno, man. I think he was waiting until this other mess got settled before he made any story changes. He does wanna talk to us before RAW tomorrow." Matt replied "Is Bunny gonna eat that?" He'd already finished his plate.

"Go ahead. Bunny's full." Jeff responded

"Full?" Tom repeated "She hardly touched it."

"She's on a diet." Jeff explained

"Oh, okay." Tom leaned back, patting his full stomach. "Good thing I'm not."

"So, Jeff, Tom talked to you."

"Uh-huh..." Jeff said

"And you're okay with this?" Matt asked

"Yeah, whatever." Jeff replied nonchalantly. "Tommy said you two were on my side and that they'd have a hard time proving anything."

"Yeah, bro, we are, and they will." Matt wiped off his mouth with a napkin. "I don't want you to worry about it. It may be weeks, months even, before they are ready to go. Until then, you're gonna live for the moment, right?"

"Right, Matty." Jeff sang "I wanna beer!"

"Me too." Tom agreed "Let's enjoy tonight. If Vince wants Matt 'n me back on a regular schedule, it might be the last time the three of us can get completely bombed for a long time."

"I'm gonna put Bunny to bed." Jeff took his rabbit into the bedroom.

"Seriously, bro, how'd he take it?" Matt asked as soon as Jeff had closed the door.

"He was a little shaken up." Tom answered "But I calmed him down quickly enough. I had a little help."

"I knew that rabbit would come in handy." Matt chuckled "Jeff, are you still drinking with us?"

"In a minute." Jeff shouted through the door.

"I'll throw some on ice." Tom loaded the small fridge with as much of the forty-eight bottles as would fit, leaving three out for immediate consumption.

"Here." Tom passed Matt a bottle of brew. He was reaching for one for himself when Jeff's phone rang.

"Can one of you get that?" Jeff asked

Matt flipped it open. "It's your lawyer."

"See what he wants?" Jeff shouted, unconcerned.

"Jeff Hardy's answering service; Matt Hardy speaking."

"He's in the... bathroom right now, can I take a message? Oh, I see. Yes I'll tell him right away... thank-you." Matt closed the phone, suddenly several shades paler.

"Matt? Wha'd he want?" Jeff came out, wearing his team X-treme drinking shirt.

"Well, somehow, the prosecutor managed to get a judge to agree to a quick trial date..."

"How? I thought court wasn't in session on Sunday?" Tom demanded

"I dunno, but they set a date." Matt looked up, fear in his eyes. "You go to trial on Tuesday."

"Oh, shit!" Tom whispered

Jeff didn't seem too worried about it. In fact, the other Hardys seemed more concerned than he did.

"You said not to worry, right?" Jeff plucked the bottle from Tom's hand. Twisting it open, he drank half of it in one go.

"We did..."

"Here's to us." Jeff held his half-empty bottle up. "We've beaten the odds before, now we're gonna do it again!"

"To us." They clinked bottles. For the next four hours, the three Hardys focused on only one thing... getting completely wasted. It might be their last opportunity to be together for a long time, so they were gonna enjoy it while it lasted. After Tuesday, things might never be the same.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Here come da judge... what will happen next?_

_For those of you who've asked about Bunny, you'll be pleased to know that her lawyers and mine have agreed on a new temporary contract that will see her appear until the end of this story._


	22. The Naked Brothers Band together

Naked Brothers Band (together)

"Vince, c'mon, please. Just this one night?" Tom begged

"What part of 'no' did you not understand?" Vince demanded "I expect to see you and Matt, and only you and Matt at the arena by five o'clock. No excuses."

The hum of the dial tone told Tom that the conversation was indeed over.

"I told you he'd say no." Tom lay back down.

"It was worth a shot." Matt said,

"Maybe he would've take me a little more seriously if I wasn't so damn drunk." He groaned

"You're the most sober of all of us." Matt said, his voice garbled.

"Yet, I drank the most... whassupwitdat?" Tom reached for one of the last beers he'd opened just before falling asleep.

"You're the biggest one of us." Matt replied "I guess you can absorb more."

"If I get bladed tonight, I'll bleed six percent alcohol." Tom squinted at the light filtering through the curtains, then looked at his watch. It was nearly one in the afternoon. "We gotta sober up and fast."

"I don't wanna sober up." Matt covered his eyes with his arm. "It's soooo much easier to stay drunk."

"Speaking of drunk, how's little brother?" Tom asked

"Out like a light." Matt looked at the still-sleeping form beside him, curled up with Bunny in one hand, snoring lightly.

"How sweet." Tom drank from the opened beer, grimacing slightly at the warm taste. But hell, he'd drunk them warm before and "it didn't cross my eyes none" as Tom would say.

Matt sighed, staring at the ceiling. He'd never felt less like performing than he did at that moment.

"Something on your mind, bro?" Tom quickly emptied the bottle and stared at his brother, or at least tried to. His vision was still a little squirrely.

"Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer it, but..."

"What's buggin' ya?"

"Don't get pissed at me, but I'm just curious... have you and Jeff... y'know...?

"Have we fucked?" Tom finished. Matt's sudden silence confirmed it.

"It's none of my business, dude. I'm sorry I even mentioned it." Matt turned away from Tom and stared at Jeff.

"You mean like what we did in my locker room, fucked?" Tom answered "Honestly, no."

"No!" Matt exclaimed

'No, Matt. You were my first." Tom answered "I'm not sure if that's something you can have framed and hung over the mantle, but you are the first guy I went all the way with."

"But what about...?"

"He's blown me, I've blown him, but it hasn't gone much further than that." Tom stated, like discussing incest with his own brother was a normal everyday occurrence.

"Oh..." Matt stared at Tom. "What does he taste like?"

Tom choked, spitting beer down his front. Jeff mumbled something incoherent and rolled over.

"What do you mean... his dick or when he shoots... why exactly do you care anyway?" Tom wiped off his chest, flicking random droplets of beer onto the floor, then wiping himself dry with the comforter.

"I dunno, just forget about it, it was a stupid question." Matt groaned, praying that it was the liquor that had given him the nerve to ask such a socially inappropriate question.

"It's kinda sweet actually. Maybe from all the candy he eats." Tom replied, ignoring Matt's last comment. "And if it matters, you have more of a musky taste, dick-wise".

Matt nodded. He'd heard similar comments about his own flavor from Amy.

"You never answered my question, bro... why do you care how Jeff tastes?" Tom reached for his bottle but finding it empty, tossed it aside with disgust.

"Just curious, I guess." Matt replied

"Well, he's right beside you." Tom suggested "Why don't you ask him if you can find out?" He winked seductively.

Matt looked over at his sleeping brother. What Tom was suggesting was definitely taboo, but the three of them had rewritten the rule book on familial relationships so many times over the past months that the idea didn't exactly repulse him as it might have once.

"Ask me what?" Jeff muttered sleepily. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing, Jeff." Matt said, embarrassed. "Go back to sleep!"

"You were talking about me... I wanna know what you were saying!" Jeff responded

"No you don't." Matt buried his face in his pillow.

"Tommy... tell me..." Jeff warned.

"It's Matt's call, bro." Tom answered "If he doesn't want to talk about it, then it's up to him."

"Matty, tell me or else I'll start singing..." Jeff threatened. "This is the song that doesn't end... it goes on and on my friend... some people started singing it, not know what it was just and they'll continue singing it forever just because..."

"Oh, God." Matt groaned, trying to block out the singing with the pillow. After ten verses, it was obvious that Jeff was not going to stop until Matt talked.

"Matt, if you don't tell him, I will." Even Tom's I-pod blasting Slayer was not a match for Jeff's pipes.

"...and it goes on and on my friend..."

"Alright, if it'll shut him up." Matt shouted "Jeff, I was just curious about... you know..."

"Matt wanted to know what you tasted like." Tom said "I told him you tasted like candy. All sweet and gooey."

Jeff giggled. Matt turned crimson.

"I hate you Tom." He growled, again hiding his face in the pillow.

"Matty, it's okay... I asked Tom what you tasted like, but he said you just fucked." Jeff giggled

"You what?" Matt raised the pillow slightly, looking at Jeff with astonishment.

"Yeah. For the number of times you shot, I probably could've drank at least one of them." Tom reached for the beer, again forgetting that the bottle was empty.

"There is any easy way to answer your question Matt." Jeff purred

Matt swallowed nervously. For years, Matt had wanted something like this to happen, but it wasn't until Tom came into their life that he realized how badly.

"Can I... you mean it?" Matt asked

"Matty, I love you with every fiber of my being. If this will make you happy, then I want to be the one to do it." Jeff kicked the blankets aside.

"What about you, Tom?" Matt asked "Are you okay with this?"

"Fuck, yeah. I just want a piece of the action myself." Tom staggered over to the bed and pushed in beside Matt. "Since I've already tasted Jeff, I figure I'll go for an order of Matt in a cream sauce tonight."

Jeff giggled childishly.

"So you really only wear socks to bed!" Tom said, looking at Matt's exposed body. "And here I thought that was just one of those Matt facts designed to make your female fans wet."

"If this gets out, I won't have any female fans." Matt said

"Whatever... now shut up and suck." Tom grabbed Matt's twitching cock while he did the same to Jeff. For the next several minutes the only sound in the room was a series of slurping noises and the occasional moan. Jeff was in heaven, Matt was trying not to come too quickly, and Tom was wondering what John Cena was doing after the show... hmmm!

"You are sweet." Matt licked the drops from the head of Jeff's dick... "Must be all those... ahhh!"

Something Tom was doing between his own legs had brought Matt to the edge in seconds. "Oh fuck..." Matt plundered Jeff's cock, sucking his brother faster as his own orgasm took hold of him.

"Fuck, Matty... yesss...." Jeff twined his hands in Matt's dark locks and arched his hips off the bed. "Faster... please..."

Matt suddenly thrust downward, filling Tom's mouth with every inch and coming hard. No gagging this time, Tom expertly swallowed every drop Matt had and sucked him for more.

The force of his own orgasm started Matt into a sucking frenzy and he soon had Jeff emptying his own load.

"Kiss me." Jeff pulled both his brothers into a three way smooch, tasting both his and Matt's come on their lips and mingling it together. "Mmmm." Jeff licked every bit from both their mouths and smiled. "Tastes yummy."

"You did too, Jeffro." Matt gasped, still a little overcome from the lovemaking. "Wow!" he panted "What the hell did you do down there?"

"Beats the hell out of me." Tom shrugged "I had a girl do that to me once and it felt like I came for hours. Next time, I'll try it on you Jeff."

"How about now?" Jeff asked, his own dick only slightly soft.

"You're ready to go again?" Tom asked

"It's not just me, bro. You look like you need a little action too." He pointed to the pole sticking out of Tom's pants.

"Whatever... I'm sure I can get one of the guys to take care of me later." Tom whispered

"Andrew Thomas Baker-Hardy... have you been cheating on me?" Jeff shouted

"Hell, no." Tom answered "Well, only with Matt, but you know about that."

"Okay." Jeff pointed at Tom. "But just remember what happened to Morrison after he cheated on me! Just for saying that, I think you should suck my dick while Matt sucks yours." He crossed his arms and looked sternly at them both.

"Shhhh... not so loud!" Tom smiled "We still have cops outside our door."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot." Jeff giggles

"Lord knows how much they've already heard." Matt groaned

"If this gets back to Vince, how do we explain it?" Tom asked

"Simple. We were bored. Now both of you, mouth open and start sucking." Jeff ordered

"Yes, sir." The round began anew.

...

"Do you think we even look sober?" Matt asked

"We better be... considering I drove us here." Tom looked in the rear-view mirror then put his shades on.

"Well, we better not keep Vince waiting any longer." Matt said "Trunk?"

Tom grunted.

"I wonder when the police will realize that Jeff isn't in the hotel room?"

"I'd say any time now." Tom smiled

...

"Mr. Hardy, do you need anything?" One of the cops banged on the door. Since Matt and Tom had left for the arena two hours ago, it had been too quiet in the room. Way too quiet.

"Mr. Hardy." When Jeff did not answer the second summons, the security detail went inside. The room was just as the boys had left it, beer bottles everywhere, the beds not yet made, stuff everywhere, but no human habitation.

It took only a matter of minutes before the officers' fears were confirmed. Jeff Hardy had vanished.

"Uh-oh. Vince ain't gonna like this." One of the police reached for his radio. "Position one to control... the swan has flown the coop."

Vince received this troubling bit of news while both Tom and Matt were in the office, awaiting their instructions.

"What do you mean, missing? No, I'm sure I don't know how he could've gotten past you either. Damn straight I want you to find him... he's worth half-a-million bucks to me! Well, I don't know where he is... if I did, I wouldn't need you, now would I!" Vince slammed the phone down.

"Where is he?" He demanded

"Where is who?" Matt asked calmly.

"You know who." Vince threatened

"Relax, Vince. Jeff is safe." Tom replied

"Where is he. I swear if you don't tell me..."

"Right now, he's probably looking for the nearest vending machine." Matt answered

"I want him in this office within the next sixty seconds or you both will be jobbing for Tyson Kidd and DH Smith until the next Wrestlemania." Vince roared

"Chill out, King Grapefruits." (My thanks to redsandman99 for the nickname.) Tom walked out of the office.

"Listen Vince, Jeff has been stuck in that room ever since you posted our bail." Matt explained "After tomorrow, he'll be too busy with the trial to get out so we figured maybe give the fans what might be their last look at the Enigma."

"I wish you would've come to me with this sooner." Vince answered "We've already done the run sheet for tonight."

"I've already seen it." Matt interjected "And I have an idea."

"Jeffro, where the hell are you... oh there you are." Tom encountered Jeff kicking the hell out of a vending machine.

"Vince wants you now."

"Machine won't give up the Skittles." Jeff kicked it again.

Tom looked around. Except for Jeff, the corridor was empty. "Not a word." He pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket, wrapped it around his knuckles and punched the machine, shattering the glass front.

"Ooh.. Skittles." Jeff helped himself to the fruity candy while Tom quickly looked at his hand. No bleeding, just one or two small scratches.

"Let's go." Tom pulled Jeff away, the younger Hardy stuffing his pockets with as many packs as he could.

...

"Welcome to Raw... we are live from Madison Square Garden! Tonight, Vince McMahon had said that he will address the title situation involving Matt Hardy." Michael Cole shouted

"It's about time." Jerry interjected "Matt has held both of those titles for way too long. It's time somebody did something about it."

"And it looks like the Chairman is on his way."

King Grapefruits, I mean Mr. McMahon power-walked to the ring. Taking the microphone, he spoke to the crowd.

"I, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, am a risk-taker. Yet I am also a realist. As you all know, I recently spent one and a half million of my dollars to keep a number of my Superstars out of jail. Why did I do that? Because it was the right thing to do for you, the fans. But now, that my investments have come back to me for the most part, it is time to deal with a more serious issue. Matt Hardy, please come down to my ring and bring your Intercontinental Championship with you..."

Matt stepped onto the stage, looking "confused".

"Please, Matt... in this very ring." Vince gestured

Matt stepped through the ropes, acknowledging the cheers of the fans.

"Now Matt, the reason I asked you out here is because for the last number of weeks, you have been defending both of those titles against all challengers, but the board of directors has said, and I agree, that we cannot allow this to continue. Therefore, I am hereby asking you to relinquish your Intercontinental Championship to me right now."

The fans booed this pronouncement.

"Matt, this has nothing to do with you. It is only that policy dictates that one man may not hold two singles titles at the same time." Vince said "Now, Matt, please."

"Mr. McMahon. I appreciate your faith in me over the past weeks, but you've got to understand... I almost killed my own brother for this title. I can't just give it up to you." Matt looked at the belt, still with Tom's name on it.

"Well, Matt, let me make it easy for you. If you do not agree to the directives from the board, not only will I forcibly strip you of this title, but your Heavyweight Championship as well." Vince said "Now hand it over. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"This isn't right and you know it." Matt reluctantly gave the belt back to Vince.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce the Intercontinental Championship is once again vacant! I will be conducting a search for worthy contenders..."

Another entrance theme cut Vince off. Tom stepped out onto the stage, looking calm.

"Hey, Vince, up here. Yeah, it's me. I couldn't help hearing what you said about worthy contenders and I have a solution to this problem. I never got a rematch for that title... a title I never should've lost to begin with." Tom said, tiptoeing against the line that separated Tom Hardy the face from Tom Hardy the heel. "So, I have a solution. Why don't you just give me back what's rightfully mine."

"Rightfully yours." Vince cackled "The only reason you held this title to begin with is the previous champion walked out on me." He did not want to mention Jeff by name quite yet.

"You should be used to it... it's not like it hasn't happened before. Remember Alundra Blayze?" Tom laughed "For that matter, do the names Scott Hall and Kevin Nash ring a bell? Whaddaya say Vinnie-Mac, are you gonna give that belt back to me or do I have to come down and take it."

"I don't know just who the hell do you think you are, but if I gave the belt back to anyone, it sure as hell wouldn't be you." Vince shouted

"What are you gonna do, Vince... make another big mistake and give the title to someone who's gonna jump to TNA next week." Tom sneered "We all know you won't... you're so predictable."

"Predictable, huh... Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the NEW Intercontinental Champion... Jeff Hardy!"

Tom's jaw dropped. Matt applauded loudly. The fans waited patiently, and erupted as one when the Enigma finally stepped out on stage.

"Holy crap, King... it's Jeff Hardy!" Cole shouted

"Is this the same Jeff Hardy who's going to court tomorrow on a charge of murder?" Lawler asked

"It is, King... Vince must know what he's doing."

Jeff danced into the ring and took the belt before climbing the turnbuckles to celebrate.

"I hope he does King. If Jeff doesn't beat this rap, Vince is gonna look awful foolish." Cole added

"Now, I know a lot of you are asking why would I , Vince McMahon, give a covered title to someone who may be spending the rest of his life in jail? Because I am a risk-taker. However, tonight, in this very ring, there will be an Intercontinental Championship match. The new champion Jeff Hardy will defend the title against the former Champion... "

Tom smiled, thinking Vince was gonna say his name.

"...Randy Orton." Vince shouted, staring right at Tom when he said it.

"Just wait a damn minute, Vince... what about me? What about my rematch?" he demanded

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about you. Tonight, you will see Tom Hardy go one on one with the Great Khali! And, if by some miracle, you win, then I will give you your title rematch here tonight, instead of Orton." Vince shouted "Now get out of my ring... not you Tom, your match is right now."

Tom looked over at Vince, a shocked expression on his face. He pointed at his clothes. He was still in his suit. Vince just smiled and stepped out.

"What the hell?" Tom shouted "Is he kidding me?" He asked the referee.

"I don't think so."

"Shit." Tom took off his jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves. Even Matt and Jeff looked a little stunned, the key word being a little.

"And his opponent. Weighing four hundred twenty pounds... the Great Khali."

Tom breathed heavily, hoping that via some fluke, Khali would have a heart attack before he got to the ring. No such luck. The deer in the headlights analogy comes to mind, but it was like being on the deck of the Titanic watching the iceberg get closer and closer, knowing that no matter now hard you tried, you were doomed to fail.

"No offense, little bro, but I'm gonna do what I hafta do to get that title back." He thought. "Even if it means going through you."

The second Khali stepped over the rope, Tom attacked, pulling the rope sharply into Khali's groin. Khali tumbled over the rope onto the mat, holding his genitals. Hoping Khali would stay down for at least two seconds, he climbed the top and flew, hitting Khali with a Shawn Michaels elbow drop. He tried for a cover but before he could even hook onto the big guy's leg, he was thrown off.

It was all Khali from there. Chops, punches, slaps, Asiatic thrusts, when delivered by someone the size of Khali, it all added up to a real beat down. Knowing Tom needed a distraction, he rolled out of the ring, where an idea finally came to him. He started chasing Runjin Singh around the ring, hoping it would draw Khali after him.

The plan seemed to work. Khali stepped out of the ring, allowing his mouthpiece to use him as a human shield. When Singh ran past, Khali extended his arm to attempt a clothesline outside the ring. Tom saw it coming, though. With a man that size, it was easy to choreograph moves. He ducked, rolled, and drop-kicked Khali's legs out. He fell forward, and into the ring post with a clang.

Tom rolled back into the ring. By the time Khali got back up, with Singh's help, the referee had already counted him out.

"Here is your winner as a result of a countout... Tom Hardy!"

Tom raised his arm in victory and then ran when he saw Khali heading for him. He sprinted, hoping that he could be in another time zone, or at least off-camera, by the time the big man got backstage. Gasping for air, he dropped down on a bench in the locker room.

"One down... one to go!" He panted "Jeffro, here I come!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_The pre-trial threesome out of the way, now down to business... can Tom defeat Jeff for the title and how will the result affect Jeff's upcoming legal adventure? Will their be a post-trial orgy? Tune in to find out._

_Thank you all for your kind reviews... keep them coming!_


	23. Guilty? Oh Brother!

Guilty? Oh, Brother!

After his match with Khali, Tom needed some time to think and rest his aching muscles. No matter how many times he tried to figure out just what the hell he was doing, allowing his desires to override plain common sense, he kept ending up with more questions than answers.

Even worse was one of the causes of his problems decided to plop himself down beside Tom, his newly acclaimed title snuggled around his waist.

"Hey bro, whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" He greeted Tom with a peck on the cheek. Several of the jokers in the locker room whistled at this.

"Whoa, kinky!" Coming from Randy Orton, who's fascination with midgets and jelly beans was well-known, this brought gales of laughter from many of the wrestlers.

"Orton, knock it off before I shove Jeff's title up your ass!" Tom threatened half-heartedly.

"Forget that. Rumor's goin' 'round that you'd rather shove something else up Jeff's ass, and it sure ain't a Championship." Randy sneered

This was followed by more hoots and catcalls from the others.

"Randy, that comment might almost be worth responding to, if it wasn't coming from someone who's portrayal of a straight guy is as real as Stephanie's tits." Tom answered

"I am straight." Randy protested

"Randy, everyone knows about you, Ted, and Cody. How many after-match "training sessions" does a team need?" Tom replied

More laughter from the boys. Randy blushed.

"You make what Edge, Ryder, and Hawkins did seem downright discreet." Jeff added, spending his two cents wisely.

Randy opened his mouth to comment, but closed it quickly enough.

"It's sick, that's all I have to say." Randy strode away.

"What was that all about?" Jeff asked

"I think Randy's pissed that I got his title shot." Tom lovingly messed up Jeff's hair. "And he's starting shit."

Jeff leaned into Tom, resting his head on his shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Randy was right." Cena came over to his locker, which happened to be the one next to Tom's and started changing. "You two seem to get way too close sometimes."

"The chair recognizes the delegate from the state of homophobia." Tom muttered "Your opinions on homosexuals are well-known, but for once, why don't you keep your mouth shut?"

"Yo, dude, I wasn't tryin' to pull anything. I just meant that..."

"It's perfectly clear what you meant." Tom pushed Jeff off him and stood face-to-face with Cena. "If you weren't too busy taking the moral high road, you might have heard what has been going on in Jeff's life right now. In case you hadn't, let me spell it out for you... he goes to trial tomorrow for murder. All I'm doing is what any older brother would... trying to bring a little emotional stability to him right now. I'm sorry if it offends your sensibilities but since when is my personal life any of your business?"

John stood quietly. The entire locker room was staring at him intently.

"Fuck you." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Anybody else wanna share?" Tom stared around the locker room. Everyone else suddenly found something to do.

"Cool." Tom sat back down. "God, I hate people like that. I wonder who started the rumor anyway?"

"Can we pleeeeease not talk about that right now?" Jeff whined

"Okay, bro." Tom said, hugging Jeff close. He didn't care that this was how the whole incident had started. "So, how do you want to keep that title?"

"Huh, I thought I was giving it back to you? Vince said..."

"I don't think Vince has a lot of confidence in your lawyer's abilities at trial. I, on the other hand, tend to look at things a little more optimistically." Tom answered "I figure I'll try a swanton and royally screw it up..."

"Here is your winner and still Intercontinental Champion... Jeff Hardy!"

From his office, Vince spit coffee. "What the hell?" He stuck his head out the door. "Get me someone from creative right now!"

In the ring, Tom rolled around in agony. When he said he was going to botch the swanton, he meant it. He purposely rolled a little too far, taking the bump on his neck instead of his lower back. Jeff covered Tom and scored the pin fall. Even the referee was confused.

"Hardy? What happened?" He asked

"I think I really fucked up, ref." Tom said, glazing his eyes in an impression of severe pain. "I can't feel anything in my arms or legs."

"Got it." The ref signaled for some help from the back. Legitimate help, not storyline help.

"Tommy, what's wrong?" Jeff had seen that his brother hadn't gotten off the mat.

"Nothing, Jeffro. Just took a bad bump." Tom smiled weakly.

"Probably just a stinger. We'll get the docs to look at you."

Tom remained immobile until the medical team got to the ring. Jeff looked concerned, even bordering on scared, when Tom still wasn't moving his extremities even after being loaded onto a stretcher.

"Fuck." Tom cursed

"Can you feel anything?"

"My hands are tingling a little, but nothing else." Tom stated

"That's good. It doesn't mean there won't be any paralysis, but we'll know for sure when we get you looked at. Let's move him."

The ever-popular slow clapping accompanied the wheeling of Tom into the back. He was placed in the trainer's room and had not been there thirty seconds when the door was kicked open and a very pissed-off Vince McMahon towered over.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" He shouted, his red face inches from Tom's.

"Maybe Vince if you hadn't put me in a match with Khali earlier tonight, we wouldn't be having this discussion." Tom retorted "This whole idea of only telling us what we need to know, outside of the match, damn near got me paralysed."

"You knew you had another match." Vince said "You agreed to it!"

"I agreed to it, but that was before you sprung Khali on me. And you're always talking about spectacular, but safe. Well, maybe you should translate that into Hindi for him, 'coz I can tell you he doesn't understand it any other way. Dammit Vince, I was scared for my life out there." Tom shouted "And as for this, sorry, but I messed up a move, okay. You're always telling the referees to call these matches like a shoot if something goes wrong, well something did. Get creative to come up with something."

"Mr. McMahon, I need to examine the patient."

"We're not through with this, you and I." Vince stormed back out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Okay, Tom, I am just going to roll you over so I can take a look at your neck. So what happened?"

"I over-rolled on a swanton and landed wrong."

"Would you say you landed more on your upper or lower neck?" The doctor palpated Tom's spinal area, feeling for any signs of breakage.

"It was probably closer to in line with my collarbone." Tom replied

"Okay." The doctor continued to feel around Tom's neck and shoulder area for a good fifteen minutes, mumbling medical waffle every so often. "Well, the good news is you neck isn't broken. The better news is I think you just got a stinger when you landed. There is swelling, which probably is causing the numbness in your arms and legs. I recommend you rest here for a while. I'll get some ice for the area. Once the swelling goes down, you'll probably regain feeling very quickly."

"Thanks, doc." Tom was relieved that his foolishness wasn't going to cost him anything in the long run.

"Anytime... there is someone waiting for you in the hall... would you like me to send him in?"

"As long as it ain't Vince." Tom answered

"If it was, he wouldn't be waiting patiently. I'll send him."

Tom expected Jeff, but even he was surprised that Cena had been waiting for him.

"Come to get the last word... eek!" Tom yelped a bit when the ice bag was placed on his neck.

"Do not move if you can help it. I will check back in half-an-hour."

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay, yo." John replied

"Why do you care?" Tom asked "Don't tell me you have a conscience?"

John shuffled his feet nervously. How could he explain what Jeff had said to him in the corridor.

"Look, dog, it's not that I don't like you, it's that... well, you know me." John pulled up a chair and sat at the head of the table.

"I thought I did." Tom replied, wishing he could turn his head to look away. There was something about staring into Cena's face that was making it very hard for Tom to stay pissed off.

"Look, I came here to check on you and I did, so I'm gonna book." John pushed the chair back.

"Cena, sit." Tom said. Even on the table, his voice carried so much authority that John found himself obeying. "I don't know what has been going around the locker room, but let me clarify something to you. Jeff and I are brothers, and nothing more. I can't see why anyone would think that I'd have any sort of romantic feelings for him, even if we weren't related. Take a look at the kid. If I ever went that way, I'd want a man, not a boy. Why do you think I set him up with Morrison?" Tom hoped that would convince John, but he didn't count on someone else standing outside the door, hearing every word.

Jeff had come down to check on his brother, his hands overflowing with two plates of food. He stopped at the door, trying to juggle the food when he'd heard Tom's speech. As usual, he took it completely out of context.

"Tommy doesn't love me?" He threw the food at the door.

"What the hell was that?" Tom asked

"I dunno, man, lemme look."

John opened the door and was confronted by an angry Jeff. "I knew it!"

"Knew what, Jeff?" John asked

"That you were after Tom!" Jeff shouted, taking wild swings at a confused Cena.

"I don't want your brother." Cena easily blocked the punches. "Not that it would be any business of yours if I did."

"Jeffro, what the hell has gotten into you now?" Tom asked, mildly irritated at this latest mood swing.

"I heard everything." Jeff pouted, still trying to get at Cena.

"Jeff, John came in here to check on me..."

"I know." Jeff sulked "I sent him to say he was sorry."

"And all I was trying to do is squash the rumors that were going around. Now, thanks to your overreaction, you've made it worse." Tom groaned

"You two want me to leave?" John asked

"No, John, since you're here, you might as well hear the truth. Jeff and I are together." Tom answered

"Together... you mean...?" He looked like he wanted to throw up.

"We're fucking." Jeff added

"Nice way to put it, bro." Tom said.

"That's fuckin' sick." John finally strung three words together to form a sentence. "You guys are related."

"Considering I've been a Hardy for only a few months, and a Baker for thirty-five plus years, I don't think of it like that." Tom answered "Someone once said that love transcends all borders or some shit like that."

"You are brothers... and that just ain't right." John scurried from the room. "Just keep that shit away from me."

"That went well, bro?" Tom laughed, despite the drama.

"Yeah. Skittle?" Tom nodded, opening his mouth so Jeff could drop one in. "I'm sorry I acted like that."

"Why'd you really send him in here anyway?" Tom asked

"There was another rumor goin' around."

"What? That John had a thing for me?" Tom joked "No way, man." Jeff's reply, or lack of one, confirmed it.

"Matty told me he heard John talking to Mark about how he wanted to ask you out, but he didn't think you'd be interested." Jeff said

"Was anyone gonna tell me?" Tom asked

"With all the other shit that's been goin' on, I guess it kinda slipped his mind." Jeff shrugged

"Or maybe, you didn't want me to chose him over you?" Tom raised a curious eyebrow.

"Like you ever would." Jeff scoffed

'Well, he does have more muscles than you." Tom winked. "And I'm sure he knows how to use them."

"Tommy, don't say that!" Jeff whined

"Jeff, you know you're the most important person in my life. If Cena is gonna pull this bull because he was too chickenshit to make a move on me, then it's his own fuckin' fault." Tom replied "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go?"

"Vince is letting me fly on the jet... yay!" Jeff clapped his hands.

"You just wish it would be under better circumstances, eh?" Tom tried wiggling his toes. He couldn't be sure if they were moving or not just yet.

"Yeah. It was supposed to be the three of us, but I don't think you'll be ready to go." Jeff said

"If I have to get one of those wheelchairs that quadriplegics need, I'll going to make that flight." A look of determination in his eyes, Tom finally moved his arms an inch.

"They moved!" Jeff squealed

"I'm not letting you down." Tom gritted his teeth and moved another couple inches. He wondered what the doctor would say if he discovered him trying to force movement, but as he recalled, he hadn't said not to. "Look under that bag of ice, please?"

Jeff lifted the partially melted compress and giggled. "You got a bit of a bump there, bro." He tapped it, sending a shiver down to Tom's legs.

"Just get me another bag of ice and a wheelchair, Jeffro, if you could. Sounds like the show is almost over and we're leaving as soon as Matt is ready." Tom pushed himself up on his hands, his arms trembling as they took the weight.

"You sure you should be doin' this?" Jeff asked, returning with another bag of ice.

"You and Matt get ready and then come back for me." Tom tossed the used bag aside.

"You know where that one goes."

Jeff gently applied the cold pack to Tom's back. "How's that?"

"Perfect. Now get our shit together and get ready to go."

"Be right back, bro." Jeff kissed Tom softly on the top of his head as he passed. "Don't go anywhere..."

"Like I could." Tom said, once again trying to lift himself up with his arms. They were still weak, but at least there was feeling. His legs, not so much.

Tom alternated pushing himself upright with trying to get his legs to move while he waited. Just when started to panic, thinking that maybe there was a problem, he felt the normally unpleasant feeling of his foot waking up.

"There is a God." Tom silently cheered.

The door swung open.

"That was... oh, it's you." It was Cena, why he came back was not clear.

"Yeah, it's me." Cena seemed to have calmed down considerably since he'd left.

"You came to apologize to me, now?"

"Something like that." John answered "I acted like a fuckin' jerk back there and in here too."

"Eh, we all do sometimes." Tom answered "It's no big thing."

"I can see why you're the big brother. Jeff just started yelling and Matt..."

"Matt probably gave you the death stare, right?" Tom interrupted

"You know about that?"

"I've been on the receiving end of it several times. It's like he's looking right through you." Tom pushed himself up again.

"I guess it's a good thing that they have you." John grinned "They need someone to keep them under control."

"That's one of the problems growing up without a Mom." Tom said "Gil might've been a little tight on the discipline and the only outlet they've had is this."

"Anyway, I figured I better clear the air with ya, dog, and get them off my back."

"I appreciate it, John. So is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you wanted to ask me out, but never had the courage?" Tom asked

"Dude, no!"

"John?" Tom repeated

"Well, maybe a little." John replied sheepishly.

"Is there anyone in this company who isn't sleeping with one of the guys?" Tom demanded

"Vince?" John responded "I dunno, man."

"And people think I'm sick." Tom groaned

"You gotta be real about this. We're on the road three hundred days a year. There's no time for family unless they happen to work with you. Guys get lonely. You should be grateful you got what you got, even if it is a little twisted. You know how many guys would kill to have Jeff?"

"I doubt most of them could put up with the baggage." Tom replied, thinking of his dealings with Itchweeed, Bunny, Skittles, the whole mess.

"Not a lot of them could." John responded "And then you've got to deal with assholes like me who try to fuck it up every chance we get."

"John, you're not an asshole. A little intolerant, a bit misguided, maybe." Tom snickered loudly "And this is coming from a guy who blows his brother every chance he gets. Look, I'm actually quite flattered that you think highly enough of me to want that kind of relationship, but right now it wouldn't work."

"Yeah. You do seem to have a quite a lot of shit goin' on." John seemed a little saddened by the news.

"But I'm not the type of person to say no. Maybe somewhere down the road." Tom stated "But what you can do right now is help me off this table. I feel like a cut of meat on a butcher's counter right now."

"You got it, dude."

"You may have to hold me up for a few minutes once I get down. I'm not sure how my legs will react." Tom had feeling in both his feet, but his legs were still completely, if not comfortably, numb.

With his arms wrapped tightly around Cena, Tom hopped down. His feet were fine, but his mind was still under the impression that there was nothing above them and he continued downward. He would've landed awkwardly if John hadn't been holding him up.

"I hope the jet is wheelchair accessible." Tom smiled "Or I'm gonna be flying coach."

John set him back on the table, this time in a seated position.

"I'll see what's keeping your ride." John stepped out and came face-to-face with Matt and Jeff.

"What the hell?" Matt asked

"Hey, guys, I was..."

"You were just leaving, weren't you?" Matt glared at Cena.

"Hey, Matt, why don't you just chill out?" Cena stared back.

"Why don't you make me?" Matt pushed Cena.

"Maybe I will." Cena pushed back.

"C'mon, Matty. We gotta go." Jeff tugged at Matt's arm.

"In a minute, Jeff." Matt shook off his brother's grip. "Let me take care of this."

"Matty, please don't!" Jeff pleaded

"Matthew, get your butt in here!" Tom shouted from inside.

"Tom, stay outta this. I don't need you right now." Matt took a step forward. Cena put up his fists, ready to defend himself.

"Dammit, legs, you better work." Tom jumped off the table, stupidly, but somehow managed to stay erect. He still needed something to grab on to, so he threw himself at the door frame.

"Matthew Moore Hardy!" Tom was breathing heavily. "Just what the hell are you doing?"

Matt turned, obvious surprised to see Tom on his feet so soon.

"I don't need to explain myself to you... you are not my father." Matt spat

"True, but since Dad is no longer with us, I guess it's up to me, as the senior brother, to keep you in check." Tom said

"I don't need you to do anything." Matt answered, not looking away from Cena.

"Fine... you're grounded." Tom said "No pizza for a week and if you're not on the plane by the time Jeff and I get there, I may have to put you over my knee."

Cena looked over, a little disgusted by what he'd just heard, but when he saw that Tom and Matt were both laughing, his disgust disappeared quickly.

"Thanks for your help, John. I don't know how long this thing is gonna keep me away, but I'll probably be back soon." As he said this, something occurred to him. As far as he knew, neither he nor Matt had been subpoenaed for either side. Unless Jeff's lawyer knew something no one else did, it seemed reasonable to assume that at least one of their testimonies would be needed to cast doubt on the prosecution's case.

And that is how, over a span of less than twenty-four hours, Matt, Jeff, and Tom found themselves on a roller coaster of epic highs and tumultuous lows. And things would only get worse before they got better.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Forget OJ, forget John Scopes, in the next Chapter, it's the case of the state vs. Jeffrey Hardy!_


	24. The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers

Tom was dreaming. He was running through the Gardens, trying to find his way to the ring. This had to be a dream, a really bad one, because he'd been there so many times, he knew the layout like his own mind. But there he was, sprinting down corridor after corridor, trying to find the way out. His music was playing and he could almost hear Vince shouting "Yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Firrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred!"

"C'mon." Just as he was sure he was almost there... only one more corner and he was sure he'd be where he needed to be, he heard a baby crying... what idiot brought their kid backstage? He thought as everything started to fade out and Tom knew that he was waking up.

"How long was I asleep?" He yawned, feeling a pleasant cramping in both his legs. It was a lot better than no feeling at all, that was for sure.

"Hour and a half." Matt answered

"We almost there?" Tom asked, then realized that part of his dream had carried over. Jeff was the crying baby. "What's wrong with baby?"

"Baby wanted to watch 'Thelma and Louise'." Matt replied

"Why can't you watch something that doesn't make you cry?" Tom asked "Like Friday the 13th or something?"

"But I like Thelma and Louise." Jeff replied

"Oh brother." Tom groaned "Baby need a hug?"

"Mm-hmm." Jeff whined

"Matt, you're closer." Tom stretched again, then looked confusedly at his right hand. He pressed his left thumb into the center of his palm, then slammed it against the wall of the plane.

"Tom?" Matt asked

"I just lost all feeling in my hand." Tom replied, staring stupidly at it.

"Lean forward, bro."

"What?" Tom asked

"Just trust me."

Tom leaned forward in his seat and waited. Matt gently pressed his fingers on the bump on his back. Tom yelped.

"Bro, I think you should see a doctor as soon as we land."

"Why? The trainer said it was just a stinger." Tom replied "Can I sit up now?"

"That sudden loss of feeling for one." Matt replied "And that yelp for two. For the amount of pressure I put on it, you shouldn't have felt much of anything, much less that much pain."

"Shit." Tom swore "First my knee and now this. I must be getting old."

"We're not as young as we used to be." Matt answered "Except maybe Jeff. I think he's getting younger by the day."

"You know what that means... we'll be in our sixties, taking care of a two-year-old." Tom clenched his good hand.

"Still nothing?"

"Nothing." Tom answered

"As soon as we land, I'm taking you to see someone." Matt said

"But what about Jeff's trial?" Tom asked

"I'm sure it won't take that long. Besides, it's not like either of us are actually testifying... right?"

"True. That surprises me... I had been expecting something the minute I found out that I wasn't being charged." Tom responded

"Me too." Matt agreed "Hey, Jeffro?"

"Mmm?" Wonder of wonders, Jeff had fallen asleep. He opened one eye when he heard Matt.

"Did your lawyer say anything to you about why we're not testifying?" Matt queried

"Somethin' 'bout a burden of proof thingy." Jeff mumbled, his eyes once again closed.

"Oh." Tom understood.

"What?" Matt asked

"I guess Jeff's lawyer is doing what Lassiter was planning to do with me if it had gone that far... wait until the prosecution rests and then move for a dismissal on the ground that the state hasn't made it's case." Tom answered "If it works, Jeff's a free man."

"If it doesn't..."

"Then we better hope we're listed in the pre-trial order." Tom stretched again, and shook his head.

"Still numb." Matt guessed

"Yep." Tom replied "Looks like another visit to emerge for me."

"We'll take care of ya, bro." Matt responded

"I know you will." What Tom had failed to mention was that in the span of the last ten minutes, the numbness had spread halfway up his forearm. At this rate, his whole arm would be useless by the time they landed. "It's a good think my knee's back in shape."

"Dude, you've just had terrible luck recently."

"I knew I should've gotten a lifetime warranty on this ole bod rather than just the thirty-five year one." Tom joked

"You are fuckin' old, man." Jeff mumbled

"Thank you very much Mr. "I'm-too-old-for-my-Bunny-then-starts-crying-over-her." Tom growled

The plane lurched suddenly, throwing all three Hardys around the cabin.

"Belt in, guys... it looks like we got some turbulence coming up." The captain announced over the intercom.

The trio scurried back to their seats and belted in, Tom taking it a little longer; he having to do it one-handed.

"You good?" Matt asked, noticing his brother's difficulty.

"I got it." Tom answered "Good thing I'm a southpaw, eh?"

"Close your eyes!" Matt ordered

"What are you gonna do to me?" Tom demanded

"Just do it." Matt touched Tom's hand. "Can you feel me touch your hand?"

"Stupid question, Matt." Tom answered

"Okay, how about now?" Matt pressed his fingers against the base of Tom's wrist. His hand clenched. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Tom asked

"Let me know when you can feel my touch." At half-inch intervals, Matt pressed on Tom's arm, top, bottom, sides. Some were gentle and some were hard enough to leave finger marks. The longer it went on, the more Matt's frown deepened.

"OW!" Tom suddenly screamed. "I felt that one!"

"Shit." Matt swore softly, looking over at Jeff, wide-eyed with his own concern.

"What?" Tom asked "What is it Matt?"

"Tom, open your eyes." Matt swallowed nervously.

Tom did. His own eyes grew large when he saw what Matt had been doing to him.

"Are you telling me you could feel nothing until I squeezed you the last time?"

"No." Tom answered

"That would be right here." Matt indicated a couple of red marks two inches above Tom's bicep.

"You're kidding, right?" Tom asked, his concerned expression deepening. He began his own test.

"Oh fuck." He said when he realized that Matt wasn't bullshitting him.

"Oh fuck is right." Matt agreed "We better land soon before you're numb from the neck down.

"As opposed to being numb from the neck up like I usually am." Tom tried a joke, but no one was laughing.

"Not funny, dude." Jeff piped up.

"Sorry. When I'm scared this badly, I make jokes... it's my defense mechanism."

The plane lurched again. Fortunately, the Hardys were all belted securely.

"Much more of that and the lack of feeling in my arm is gonna be the least of my worries." When the plane suddenly pitched forward Tom gritted his teeth, trying to stop his stomach from emptying itself.

He had better luck than his companions, both of whom were heaving into the air sickness bags. The sound was almost enough to override what control Tom was maintaining over his gorge, but by breathing deeply he was able to keep his food down. Thankfully, the plane quickly leveled out, but not before both Matt and Jeff tossed their cookies (and whatever else they'd eaten in the past twelve hours.)

"That blew." Jeff said, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

"Literally." Tom wrinkled his nose at the smell of sick. It was almost as bad.

Although the pilot seemed to have things under control, it was a white-knuckle ride for the remainder of the flight, albeit short. When they landed, it was with exquisite relief for the passengers and probably the crew as well.

"Finally. Solid ground." Matt embarked first.

As soon as Jeff's feet touched the tarmac, he fell to his knees and kissed the concrete. "Thank-you Jesus." He whispered

Tom departed last, trying not to look as worried as he was. His arm was now completely numb, as was his shoulder. Just keeping his balance was difficult. To make things worse, they were met on the runway by Jeff's lawyer who insisted on talking to all three of them right away.

"Do we really have to do this right now?" The lack of feeling, when added onto the turmoil of the latter part of the flight, was starting to take its toll on Tom.

"The sooner we do this the better." The attorney answered "Are you not feeling well?"

"The flight was a little bumpy." Matt explained quickly. The less said the better. This was already turning into an interesting day, and it had barely begun.

"I can conclude my business with Jeffrey first, and then talk to all three of you later."

"That would be appreciated." Tom smiled weakly. "Just get me out of here." He pleaded wordlessly, looking at Matt.

"I've taken the liberty of booking you into a hotel as well as arranging for a rental car. Here's the address and the keys."

"C'mon Matt, now." Tom closed his eyes as he was overcome by the worst dizziness he'd ever experienced. He wobbled slightly.

"I better get Tommy to the hotel." Thankfully Matt noticed the state his brother was in and spoke up immediately.

"Yeah.... maybe I just need to... urp!" Tom finally succumbed and vomited.

"I thought all wrestlers were good fliers."

"The turbulence was really bad. Matt 'n I puked on the plane." Jeff explained

Tom was on all fours (or threes if you count his arm problems) retching uncontrollably. It took several minutes before the heaving stopped.

"Just breathe." Matt said, holding his hair out of the way with one hand and trying to keep Tom upright with the other without it looking too suspicious.

"My shoulder's numb and it feels like my neck is in a vice." Tom whispered

"Shit, bro. Sounds like a pinched nerve in your spinal column." Matt whispered back. "I am getting you out of here right now."

"C'mon." Matt helped Tom to his feet. "I am taking him to the hotel. Maybe he'll feel better after some rest."

"I will remind you that young Jeffrey's trial begins in less than seven hours..."

"We'll be there. Don't worry about it." Matt grimaced. Getting Tom out of here without getting the third degree was proving difficult. "Have our luggage sent to the hotel."

Still supporting Tom, Matt walked him through the terminal and out to the rental car. Instead of the hotel, Matt drove to the nearest hospital.

"Can you walk Tommy?" He asked

"I think so." Tom gasped. The drive had only made him feel worse. With every breath, he felt closer to blacking out.

"Liar." Matt ran into the ambulance bay to grab a wheelchair. By the time he returned, Tom was unconscious, having passed out from a combination of dizziness, nausea, and the toxins running through his numb arm.

"I need some help here!" Matt shouted as he tried to get Tom out of the car.

Two nurses and a doctor were at Matt's side in seconds.

"What seems to be the problem?"

Quickly, Matt explained what had happened.

"Get him inside!" They wasted no time getting a stretcher and placing Tom on it.

"What is it, doc? What's the problem?" Matt demanded

"From what you described, it could be any number of things... compartment hemorrhage, toxic shock, herniated disk pressing on a nerve..."

With each possible diagnosis, Matt winced. All this because Tom wanted to do Jeff a favor.

"Dammit!" Matt's hands tightened. "Why now?"

"Once we finish his work-up, we'll be accurately able to treat him. This may take a while."

"I understand, doctor." Matt said

"As soon as we know anything, I will send someone to talk to you. In the meantime, we'll keep our hopes up."

Matt returned to chairs and sat down, trying to focus, but his mind kept going morbid... what if Jeff was convicted and got the death penalty? What if Tom didn't survive? He'd be the sole surviving Hardy. Matt must've dozed off, because the next time he remembered was being shaken. He looked up, startled, into Jeff's face.

"Matty? What's going on?" He asked, trying to control himself.

"Jeffro? How'd you find me?" Matt asked

"When you weren't at the hotel, I had my lawyer contact the rental company. They were able to track your car using the GPS." Jeff sat down beside Matt. "What's going on?"

"Tom blacked out on the way here. The doctors don't know what it is yet. I've been sitting here waiting for some news." Matt explained

"I'm looking for the family of Tom Hardy." The doctor finally returned, and he did not look happy.

"Here." Matt and Jeff both stood.

"It's not good, gentlemen. By the time we got his tests back, he was completely paralyzed from the neck down. He's on a ventilator just to keep him breathing."

"You can fix him, right?" Matt asked

"We don't know yet. Let me explain what happened. When your brother fell, he ruptured a disc in his neck and the fluid leaked into his spinal column and became trapped. This put pressure on the spinal nerves which caused the loss of sensation. In effect, he's a quadriplegic right now."

"You're gonna fix him, right?" Jeff demanded "Right?" He repeated when the physician didn't respond immediately.

"We can try, but..." The doctor removed his glasses and wiped them off. "...this kind of surgery is dangerous at best. We would need to drain the fluid build-up; if we can do that there is a good chance that he will regain full feeling. However, there is no room for error. Even the tiniest miscalculation and the paralysis will most likely be permanent."

"And...?"

"Right now, we need to make a decision. Since he is unconscious, I assume that one of you has the power to do so?"

Matt and Jeff looked at each other. "Uh, no." Matt stammered

"No... but aren't you his family?"

"It's a long story." Matt answered

"Well, someone needs to make a decision as soon. If we wait too long, surgery will become irrelevant. Do you know who has the authority to make this decision?"

"No, we don't." Jeff shouted

"His mom's still alive, isn't she?" Matt suddenly had an idea.

"I dunno. Maybe."

"Can we get his cell phone, doc?" Matt asked

"Follow me."

Once they had Tom's phone, Matt stepped outside to call her.

"Hurry, please." Jeff urged

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Matt looked for the number... it was right where he expected to be... under 'Mom'.

Matt was still trying to figure out what the right words were to explain the situation when the phone was suddenly answered.

"Is this... Andy's mom?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"This is Matt... Matt Hardy."

"Nice to finally talk to you Matt. Andy has told me so much about you."

"Uh, I don't know quite how to explain this, but Andy is in the hospital paralyzed..." Matt exhaled

"Paralyzed? How? He was doing that wrestling nonsense again, wasn't he?" Matt was a little surprised by her reaction.

"Yes, ma'am. We need to decide what to do for treatment. Do you..."

"How bad is he, Matthew?"

"Pretty bad." Matt stated "He's not breathing on his own..."

"I always knew that WWE bullshit would be the death of him." Matt heard mumbling on the other end of the phone. "Well, after his father passed away, my son decided that he didn't want to go like his old man, hooked up to a lot of machines. Did the doctor say anything about surgery?"

"With surgery, his chances are slim-to-good... without it, next-to-no chance of recovery." Matt felt his vision start to swim.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but my son does have a do not resuscitate order."

"Ma'am, he's already on a breathing machine." Matt put his hand against the wall to steady himself.

"In that case, Matthew, I would say let them try. But I will not allow my son to be kept alive on a machine if something goes wrong. Go ahead and sign the consent for surgery. If there's any question, have them call me."

"I understand." Matt sighed, thankful he was talking to her and not Jeff. "And I'm sorry to wake you up this early."

"Are you a religious man, Matthew?"

"Sorta." Matt replied

"I'll pray for him too. Call me when you hear anything." Click!

"Well?" Matt whirled. Jeff was standing outside, white as a sheet.

"She said do it, but if it doesn't work, she doesn't want him kept alive by a machine." Matt answered

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief.

"But we're not out of this yet." Matt answered, going back inside to give the doctor the news.

Jeff remained outside, looking forlorn. He's gone from the highest of highs to the depths of despair in the last forty-eight hours. He was once more the Intercontinental Champion, he'd finally found someone who loved him the way he wanted to be loved, but now, what difference did it make? His trial started in mere hours, but that was the furthest from his mind.

Eventually, he walked back inside, already starting to go back into his shell. He said nothing to anyone up to the trial, staring into space, and even Matt stopped trying to get him to talk after a while.

"This is gonna be good." When Jeff's lawyer came to collect his client, he was not pleased with what he saw.

"I don't need to tell you that this is not good. A client who is unwilling to participate in his own defense never looks good to the jury."

"Can't you get a continuance?" Matt asked

"I can try, but judges are loath to do it this close to the start of the trial. Maybe we'll get lucky, but this is the worst case of bad timing I have ever seen." A shrug. "I was planning to use Tom as a witness."

"I can cover for it."

"Without Tom, your testimony is useless. You have an alibi... Tom's only alibi is Jeff and vice-versa. I'd have to play off that to have any chance of a dismissal of the charge."

"But Jeff said you were gonna wait until they rested then move for a dismissal." Matt said, severely confused.

"I still am. But if the judge doesn't grant it, I still have to put on a case. Just make sure Jeff is at the courtroom by ten o'clock, okay?"

"I will." Matt agreed

By nine thirty, Jeff was still in his catatonic state. Not even waving Skittles under his nose was enough to snap him back, nor was Bunny any help either.

"As Tom would say, plan B." Matt gritted his teeth.

It worked. Twenty-five minutes later, Jeff was sitting at the table on the defense's side of the courtroom. He was still withdrawn, but at least he looked like he was able to assist in his own cause.

"Any news?" Jeff's attorney asked Matt, referring to Tom.

"Nothing." Matt replied "But we're keeping our fingers crossed."

"Let's hope for the..."

"All rise..." The bailiff interrupted "Court is now in session."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Sorry for the delay, but life has gotten in the way. I hope to wrap this thing up in the next Chapter... so stay tuned!_


	25. Brothers By Choice

Brothers By Choice

"Does the prosecution have any further witnesses?"

"At this time, the prosecution rests." Schiff said

"Here goes nothing." Jeff's lawyer said softly.

"Mr. Dupree? Is the defense ready to proceed?"

"Your Honor, at this time the defense moves to dismiss all charges on the grounds that the state has failed to prove its case." Dupree said

"I object, Your Honor." Schiff rose.

"Can you please send the jury out?"

"Follow me, ladies and gentlemen." The bailiff escorted the twelve men and women back to their chamber.

"The floor is yours, Mr. Dupree."

"Thank-you. The state has presented much evidence regarding the murder of John Morrison, yet they have not shown anything that concretely links my client to it..."

"That's for the jury to decide." Schiff interrupted angrily.

"Mr. Schiff, you're out of order. You will have an opportunity for rebuttal after Mr. Dupree is finished."

"The state's case, in it's entirety, amount to little more than 'he said, she said'. None of the state's witnesses have been able to say for sure that my client was even at the club that night, and not one of them was even taken to a line-up. While Mr. Schiff's motives might be honorable, this is a man's life we're talking about here. Can you really send what is basically a fishing expedition to the jury?"

"I am inclined to agree with the defense, Mr. Schiff. What does the state have to say?"

"Your honor, I feel that the state has proved its prima facia case. We have shown that the defendant had motive, means, and ample opportunity to commit the crime with which he is charged." Schiff responded

"But your lack of an eye-witness is most disturbing, considering."

"Your Honor, juries have convicted with less."

"And they have also acquitted with more." The judge looked pensive. "Bring the jury back in."

Once the jury was seated, the judge addressed them.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am going to dismiss you early for the weekend. There is a matter before the court that must be dealt with before we proceed. You are reminded of my admonitions not to discuss this with anyone."

The jury filed out.

"Court will adjourn until Monday morning at ten a.m. when I will make my ruling."

While the judge was speaking, Matt slipped into the courtroom. He'd been alternating his time between here and the hospital where Tom was still under guarded condition following his seventeen-hour surgery.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked

"We'll have an answer, one way or another, on Monday." Dupree stated

"Finally, some good news." Matt stated

"No change in your brother?" Dupree asked

"Nothing. I talked to his mother again this morning and she's not too optimistic about his chances." Matt stated

"But I thought the surgery went fine." Jeff looked at his brother suspiciously.

"Jeff, I told you the surgery was a success. They're just waiting for the swelling to go down. Once that happens, we'll know if the paralysis is permanent." Matt explained "It's gonna be a long weekend if you don't keep it together. Anyway, I gotta fly out in a couple hours for a show in Amarillo."

"I'm not going." Jeff sulked

"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm flying out... until this is resolved, your ass is staying here. I've already cleared it with the office." Matt answered

"But what if something happens before you get back?" The younger Hardy was visibly shaking.

"Then you call me." Matt answered sternly. "But I promise you nothing will happen. What could? Your case has been adjourned until Monday and..."

"You said his Mom wasn't real optimistic about his progress. What if she decides to..." The words got stuck in his throat, but Matt knew what was coming. He'd voiced a similar concern earlier to Tom's adoptive mother.

"She promised me that she wouldn't make any decision for a couple of days. The doctor was real helpful."

Matt's tone confused Jeff. Was his brother being sarcastic?

"Listen, man, I gotta go. You go back to the hotel and try to relax." Matt grabbed his shoulders and stared directly into Jeff's eyes. "You have nothing to worry about."

Despite Matt's assurances, that was about all Jeff did during the next two days, jumping every time his phone rang or there was an unexpected knock at the door. One phone call in particular really sent his emotions spiraling.

"Hello?" Jeff answered it, even though it was listed as an unknown name long distance call.

"This is Jeff, is it?"

"I'm sorry, but I..."

"This is Teresa Baker... Andy's mom."

Jeff gulped. "W-w-what...?"

"I've been talking to Matt and he said that I should probably talk to you before anything else happens."

"I don't understand, ma'am." Jeff said nervously.

"I just wanted to let you know that I know how close you three have become. I couldn't have been happier when I found out that he'd connected with his birth family, even though it was under tragic circumstances. But this is hard for me to say; my son trusted me enough to give me power of attorney in case something like this should happen, and I don't plan to allow him to suffer needlessly." Teresa replied

Jeff suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed on the bed.

"Are you gonna...?" He whispered

"That's why I'm talking to you. Matt said it would affect you more and from what Andy has also told me about you, I can tell just how much it already has. I don't want to lose my son any more than you want to lose your brother, but I will be at the hospital on Monday. If the doctor informs me that his condition hasn't or is not likely to change, I will be instructing them to disconnect him from the ventilator." The way Teresa discussed this scared Jeff. Not just because it was a person's life they were talking about, but the way she seemed so calm about it.

"W-W-When?" Jeff stuttered

"Nine o'clock in the morning." Teresa answered "I am aware of your pending trial outcome and I do want this settled beforehand."

Looking at his watch, Jeff realized how soon that was. Less than eighteen hours stood between Tom and his own death at the hands of an overprotective mother.

"And if you could make sure that my son's possessions are available for me to pick up as well, I would appreciate it. Until tomorrow."

Click! Just like that she hung up. Jeff stared at the phone in his hand, wondering what drugs he'd been on to have such a bad trip like that. When he realized that this wasn't a bad trip, he fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Ow!" He grimaced when he landed on something. He pulled out his Bunny and gently smoothed her scrunched ear. "Bunny... I have to talk to you about uncle Tommy..."

As he talked to the rabbit, like he would a child, Jeff came to terms with his own feelings a little more.

"So, we both have to be strong no matter what happens, okay." Jeff hugged her tightly.

Despite all that, Jeff felt drowsy. He lay down with Bunny and they were both soon asleep.

The one thing about the dreams of one Jeff Hardy... they were as strange as he was. In this one he was in the middle of a corn field, like the ones back in Cameron, lying on his back staring at the clear blue sky. Unlike many of the dreams of home, Matt was not in this one. Tom was lying beside him, also staring at the sky.

"Y'know, Jeffro, I don't think what they say is true." Tom plucked a wisp of straw out of his teeth and used it to point at a cloud formation. "There's no way what a person sees in the clouds has anything to do with their mental state."

"I dunno, Tommy. People say it's all about the imagination." Jeff answered

"Horse crap, Jeff." Tom stuck the straw back in his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Okay, say you're right. What do you see in that one?"

"I see a dog." Jeff answered "What do you see?"

"I see a three-headed monster coming to eat me." Tom answered "But I'm the most unimaginative person on the planet, so that disproves the theory."

Jeff looked over at him, wondering where the other two heads were. Try as he could, he didn't see it.

"Nice day, though." As soon as Tom said it, the sky suddenly went black.

"What the hell...?" Both Tom and Jeff stood up.

"There's a storm coming!" Jeff shouted "We have to get inside."

"Inside... we're miles from home?" Tom suddenly grabbed Jeff and shook him. "Whatever happens, I don't wanna die. Please, don't let it get me! Please...."

Jeff blinked and the storm, the cornfield, and most of all Tom were gone, replaced by Matt who had been shaking Jeff violently.

"C'mon, dude, wake up!" Matt continued to shake Jeff, even after he was back from the land of the dreaming.

"I'm awake." Jeff complained "Matty! When did you get back?"

"About an hour ago. You were out like a light." Matt answered "Musta been tired."

Jeff rubbed the sleep from his eyes and was surprised to find they were wet.

"Musta."

"Didn't sound like you were having too much fun, either. You kept yelling I won't let you die..." A concerned look crossed Matt's face and he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Tommy's mommy called." Jeff realized that if Matt didn't know about Teresa's plans, it was probably a good idea to tell him.

"Oh she did, did she?" Matt replied "Is she still scared into thinking that Tom ain't gonna get better? I talked to her earlier and she said that she wasn't gonna wait forever..."

"Matt, she's coming up tomorrow to pull the plug if Tommy isn't better!" Jeff shouted "We have to stop her!"

"Oh my fuckin' God! That lying bitch!" Matt's concerned look was soon replaced by the Matt hardy death stare.

"We have to do something Matty... we hafta!" All Jeff's earlier control of the situation was gone now that Matt was with him.

"Jeffro, I don't know that we can." Matt reached to ruffle Jeff's hair. "She ultimately has the last word."

"Matty, we can't just let her kill him." Hoping for some solace, Jeff reached for Bunny yet again. "There must be something we can do."

"Pray?" Matt suggested "I know He's not one of your biggest fans, but maybe this time...?"

The second that visiting hours started, Matt and Jeff were standing on either side of their brother's bed. In a scene eerily reminiscent of the one that started this roller coaster ride, they held his hands gently, watching his chest rise and fall as the machine breathed for him.

"She said nine o'clock, Matty... what do we do if he's not better?" Jeff pleaded, staring at the clock with a horrified expression.

"Don't even think that." Matt tried to keep focused. He'd slept very little the night before, spending many hours in conversation with his Deity, pleading for the return of Tom. "Just remember what I told you. Think of it as walking down a long corridor. We're at one end, Tom is at the other. We have to get him and bring him back."

"Sounds easy enough." Jeff shrugged

"I know it does. No matter what happens, we have to stay focused." Matt stared into Jeff's eyes. "If it was anyone else, I wouldn't even try but the three of us have such a tight bond, we might be able to pull this off."

"I'm ready Matty."

"Concentrate on your breathing." They closed their eyes. Jeff had a harder time getting into what Matt had called "the zone" than his brother since Matt had been doing this sort of meditation for many years and Jeff was still a virgin.

Jeff closed his eyes and was taken immediately back to the cornfield where he last seen Tom. It was a lot larger than when he'd last been there and it seemed more alive as well. The stalks were larger, the ears of corn bigger and everything was just more there. Although it was familiar, Jeff was still feeling a little uneasy. He kept looking around, as if expecting someone or something to jump out at him. This was intensified when he actually heard the sounds of someone pushing his or her way through the corn.

"Who's there? Matty, is that you?" Jeff quavered

"Yeah, Jeffro, it's me." Matt's comforting voice sent relief through Jeff's entire frame. "Just stay where you are. I'll find you rather than the two of us trying to find each other. Just keep talking."

"Okay. About what?" Jeff asked

"Anything." Matt's voice sounded closer.

"How'd your show go." Jeff demanded

"It went fine. Orton got the title back finally." Matt said

"How'd he do that?" Jeff whirled, trying to determine where Matt was based on the swishing noises.

"Guess." Matt stepped into view.

"Oh." Jeff replied "So how do we find Tom and get him to come back with us?"

"Finding him is the easy part. We just have to find our way out of here. But getting him to come back is gonna be tough. He may not want to." Matt said

"Why wouldn't he?" Jeff's voice trembled, fearful of losing Tom for good.

"Just look at this place. Don't you feel happy here?" Matt gestured to the surroundings. Jeff thought back to what he'd felt when he first arrived... that was the feeling he'd been trying to put into words... he'd felt a sense of peace within himself that he hadn't felt for a long time.

"But Matty, it's home. Why wouldn't I?" Jeff replied

"It's home for Tom too, now. Wouldn't you rather stay here than go back to all the crap in our lives right now. Your trial, work, not knowing if you're ever gonna walk again?" Matt said "It'll be tough."

"We can do it, Matty. I know we can." Jeff's mouth was set in a determined look. "So how do we find him?"

"We both came in here, so I think we need to head that way." Matt pointed into the heart of the field. "He's probably waiting for us on the other side."

"Let's go!" Jeff took off excitedly, pushing the waves of corn aside as he past. Some of them bounced back to hit Matt as he followed.

"Slow down, Jeffro." Matt wiped a tear from his eye from one of the stalks striking him.

"Slow down?" Jeff repeated "We don't have much time to start with!" He took off at a faster pace. Matt folllowed, suffering even more abuse at the hands of the corn.

"Tommy?" He heard Jeff shout. "Where are you, bro? Tommy!" Even though there was no reply at all, Matt felt something drawing him toward one particular area of the field. Jeff must've felt it too because despite how must faster Jeff had been traveling, they both arrived at exactly the same time and pushed through the last few sheaves onto the grass.

"Where is he?" Jeff asked. He'd expected Tom to be waiting for them and actually, so had Matt.

"I don't know... I thought he might be..." Matt started to reply, but cut himself off.

"Hear somethin'?" Jeff asked

"Shhh!" Matt cupped his ear to listen harder. It sounded like a dog whistle that had just been lowered into the audible range.

"This way." Matt took off across the grass toward a nearby knoll. Jeff followed, their sneakers tearing up the sod, leaving a black path heading away from the corn which inexplicably shimmered, then vanished, leaving a void in their place.

At the top of the hill, they stopped. They could see for miles around in every direction except the one from where they came. It was gone, leaving nothing except a vast blackness that was swallowing everything in its path.

"Matty, look!" Jeff pointed behind him.

"I think we have a lot less time than even you thought." Matt stared, listening intently for the sound he'd heard earlier.

"What d'you hear?" Jeff strained his ears and could've sworn he heard a noise. It sounded like someone whistling far away.

"This way." Matt took of in the direction of the sound. Behind them, the blackness continued it's slow advance.

Over field, meadow, track, and trail the Hardys ran, always pursued by the mass, but always in pursuit of whatever the sound was that seemed to be drawing them. It was now loud enough that they could hear it without stopping to listen.

"I see someone!" Jeff pointed excitedly in the distance. At the top of the next hill was a lone figure.

"So do I!" Matt answered, feeling his own surge of excitement. "Let's go!"

"Don't have to tell me twice, bro." Jeff was already off.

They ran the last few hundred feet down the one hill and up the other. The man stood, still looking away from them, whistling snatches of a tune. It was this that Matt first heard and recognized it immediately.

Here we stand

World's apart, hearts broken in two

Sleepless nights

Losing ground

I'm reaching for you

Feelin' that it's gone

Can change your mind

If we can't go on

To survive the tide love divides

Someday love will find you

Break those chains that bind you

One night will remind you

How we touched and went our separate ways...

From his choice of song, it sounded like Tom had already made his decision.

"Tommy?"

"What are you doing here, Jeff?" Tom answered without turning around, yet from his tone he already knew the answer.

"We've come to take you back home." Jeff stated

"Oh. I was just getting used to this place. It's so peaceful." Tom looked around. He'd obviously not looked back. Maybe that was the whole point of this transitioning place. Once you started, you had the choice of either going forward into peace or going back into chaos.

"It's not your time Tom." Matt said. His prayers the night before had convinced him that Tom was meant to remain with them for a while longer.

"I know, but I'm just having a hard time deciding." Tom sighed. "There really isn't much back there for me, is there?"

"There's a lot more than you know, bro. Everyone wants you back and honestly, I am getting sick of telling people that there's no change." Matt clapped Tom's shoulder. He flinched.

"Please, Tommy?" Jeff whined "We don't have much time. Your Mom wants to take you off the ventilator."

"It's her choice." Tom said "I can't believe that she'd actually do it, though."

"That's why you have to come back with us." Matt said

"Even if I wanted to, how would I do that?" Tom asked, looking around the glade. "I don't see an express bus."

"Easy, bro. Just open your eyes."

"Open your eyes... open your eyes... c'mon Tommy, please open your eyes!"

Tom blinked twice. The pastoral scene disappeared, replaced by the grey impersonality of a crowded room. The glare from the light was too much and Tom quickly closed his eyes again.

"I saw it!" He heard Jeff shout. "He opened his eyes."

"Did he?" Tom's eyelids were raised, one at a time, and a light was shone into them. Tom glared back. It was the most he could do, since he couldn't say anything. "Are you in there, Mr. Hardy?"

Tom did what he could do. He gave the doctor the middle finger.

"Did you see that?" Now it was Matt's turn to get excited.

"I did." The doctor tisktisked. "A blink of the eyes would've sufficed."

"But he's back, right?" Jeff asked

"Well, he's awake, but that was never our concern. It just means the anaesthesia has worn off. We're still worried that he might not be able to breathe on his own."

Tom looked wordlessly at Matt. "Tell them to take this damn tube out." He thought

"Can't we see?" Matt voiced Tom's unspoken request.

"Would you like us to disconnect you from the ventilator?"

Tom nodded vehemently.

"Okay. Keep your fingers crossed." The doctor flipped the switch and quickly separated the machine from Tom, leaving only the tube in his throat. They waited, watching to see if Tom's lungs could handle it. Five seconds, ten seconds, then a breath... and another one... and another. Within a minute, Tom's respiration was at a normal rate, although he was still in discomfort trying to breath around the tube.

"Looks like that tube can come out. Tom I need you to take a breath, then blow out as hard as you can when I tell you."

Tom nodded.

"Now!"

The tube was pulled out of Tom and he started hacking furiously. The nurse quickly sprayed his throat with medicine to numb it.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked

Tom shrugged. He couldn't talk his throat hurt so much.

"It's good to have you back with us. Now the next thing is to determine if the surgery was successful. I am going to stimulate several pressure points. I need to let me know if your feel anything." The doctor pressed on Tom's right ulnar nerve. He yelped.

"I guess that's a yes. I'll try not to push as hard next time." The doctor worked his way up and down both of Tom's arms and legs.

"Well, doc?" Matt asked after he'd finished the assessment.

"It looks good. There is still some loss of sensation on his right side, but I am confident that will return with time. He will need rest for the next few days, followed by exercise. I can give you some stretches that should help the feeling return. Now we can do it here, but I have a feeling that you'd rather do it at home." This last comment was addressed directly to Tom, who nodded.

"Will be make a full recovery?" Matt asked

"I'm optimistic, but one never knows. He is going to need someone with him at all hours..."

"We can arrange that." Matt said

"Alright. We'll see what we can do about getting you out of here as soon as possible. I'll go talk to his mother. She was waiting for my final diagnosis."

"I guess she can keep that DNR for another time." Matt smirked

"I hope so. The patient does need his rest, so try to keep it short." The doctor and nurses emptied the room, leaving only the three of them.

"Good to have you back, bro." Matt said, gripping Tom's hand again. Jeff did the same on the other side of the bed.

Tom nodded, his dark eyes filling with tears. It wasn't long before all three of them were weeping. He smiled and brought both their hands to his mouth and kissed them gently. It was his way of thanking them.

"You're welcome." Jeff answered, his voice breaking. He lay his head on Tom's chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, made even more beautiful by the fact that the owner of it was back.

This moment was shattered by Jeff's phone ringing. He looked at Matt, who said "Answer it."

Jeff did. "It's my lawyer." He whispered "Why would he be calling right now? The judge doesn't rule for another hour."

"Well, answer it." Matt urged

Jeff did. He listened intently for several seconds, then simply said "Thank-you." And hung up.

"Well?" Matt asked

Jeff looked from Matt to Tom and then back to Matt.

"I'm a free man."

**THE END**

_For those of you who stuck it out, I hope the ending was worth it._

_"Separate Ways" by Journey copyright 1983 from the album "Frontiers" all rights reserved._


End file.
